Last minute advice??

[shanny28757]

Any old pros have any last minute advice on night fishing for me. I will be trying it tonight for the first time and am a little intimidated. My only expectations are lots of snags and getting wet. From what i've been told the best advice for a first timer is bring a change of cloths because i will probably need them.

[Shupac]

Actually, the best advice you could get is to wade the section you're going to fish DURING DAYLIGHT. Trying to learn a river after dark is stupid or, at worst, suicidal. If you've waded the river in seasons past, remember that things do change.

I've done quite a bit of night fishing and only gotten wet once, this when I tripped over my own feet in one foot of water with a level sandy bottom. Walk slowly, be sure your foot will land on something before you put it down, avoid using a flashlight, at least without a red lens. White light will draw bugs and mess with your night vision.

If you think you hear a bear crashing through the brush toward you, it's probably just a raccoon. If a bear actually is coming for you, you'll never hear it...:evilsmile

[shanny28757]

Thanks for the advice, although i didn't use it. We decided to wade a stretch we've never fished before and it ended up working out great (surprisingly). Where we fished the river was wide and for the most part not very deep; some parts were tough to navagate at night but overall we had a great time. We fished from about 6:30-midnight. Before it got dark we caught quite a few brookies with the largest being about 10". As darkness fell we ended up standing next to a hole where 3 BIG browns were surfacing. I hooked into one but it didnt last long. Fish-1, Me-0. I will definitely be night fishing again, hopefully soon and with better results.