Those who have gone night fishing for striped bass already know that the night bite is often the right bite. At some times of the year it's virtually the only path to success, and at others it will give you relief from the crowds and the heat of the sun. But to effectively night fish you’ll need to adapt some new tackle and tactics. Here are three tips and tricks that will boost your success rate once the sun goes down.

night fishing for stripers
This chunky striper was feeding at night - and night fishing is unquestionably one of the best way to tie into hogs like this.
  1. Special equipment is a must. Flashlights that clip to your hat brim or headlamps that you wear like a hat are the way to go, since they leave your hands free for fighting fish. But you’ll also need to light up the water in order to attract fish; for this job nothing beats a green Hydroglow. The tube of light will throw a halo of green light 30’ around the boat, and menhaden are attracted to it like moths to a porch light. After the menhaden arrive you know what shows up next—predators.What about those blue, white, and pink lights? During one summer we tried deploying different colored lights over the side of the boat throughout a night of fishing, and tracked the density of the life drawn to each color. Green was the hands-down winner, drawing in twice as many fish as any other color (all the rest of which seemed more or less equal).
  2. Boat positioning along light-lines is a tactic that will put a bend in your rods, too. You’ll usually do best if you find a well-lighted bridge with relatively deep water in the channel (at least 12’ or 15’) and a decent current. Anchor up-current (or up-wind, if there is little or no current) of the light-line, where it crosses over the deepest part of the channel, so it intersects with the light-line created by your Hydroglow. Then fish your baits just outside the light, on the dark edges of the light-line.
  3. Throw a cast net once bunker start swarming in the lights. Quite often, as long as there are bunker in the area they’ll literally swarm the light, swimming in circles around it. Drop a couple dozen into your livewell, and live-line them with no weight. (See Pea-Nutty: Live Lining With Peanut Bunker for Stripers to get the lowdown on rigging). This tactic is utterly deadly—and will lead to a full fishbox in no time.
night fishing for striped bass
Schoolie striped bass bite after dark, too, sometimes much better than they do during daylight.

Of course, night fishing isn't for everyone. You'll have to stay out late and lose a lot of sleep. There's an added element of danger if you take a boat out at night. And your usual fishing buddies may bow out. Still, if you have the chance you should give it a shot. Often, the results are so good you'll lose even more sleep in the future.

Editor's note: This article was originally published in August of 2017 and was most recently updated in August of 2024.