Here i go again.

The sun tends to go down at around 4:30 at this time of year and I find it decidedly inconvenient since I can rarely finish at lunch time these days.

I would love to be able to lure fish into the late evening. Is it even worth trying and if so, what kind of lure should I consider?

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Black by tradition is the lure colour for night fishing, although it has to be said that I've never had a problem with colours. If they are up for it, they'll take all of the usual daytime lures as well. Best savoured in the summer with topwater lures. In the winter I've had little success after about an hour past sundown. If you have silver fish feeding late (watch for baitfish topping) then theres a good chance that lures will score.

I thought that since pike were mainly visual hunters (correct me if I am wrong), that they would need some kind of illuminated lure.

If that is not the case I might try a rattler or something after sunset. If I can brave the cold that is.

Watched the locals charging up their luminous lures with special flashguns every few casts when after salmon in Chicago; now that would be an interesting way of piking....

Jim.

A black lure would be in silhouette! I have a luminous Super Sandra that has yielded some fish but nothing huge. Some plugs have a slot underneath for one of those glow stick things that people put on floats and rod tips etc. During the summer nighttime piking can be ace. I do have friends who deadbait very successfully during the winter and fish throughout the night.

I was out on my boat one evening last summer and had pulled back into the marina and tied up. It was a nice evening but I'd blanked. I had a few drinks with my neighbours and sat on my boat throwing lures determined to catch. It started to lash down with rain and I couldnt see a thing, but still continued throwing lures in the dark. After a while you drop into a rhythm with multipliers and there's just pleasure in throwing lures in the dark and listening for the splash. About 1pm I had a fish about 14lb between the two boats moored opposite, then two more around 10lb in quick succession on a nothing special lure. Then it all stopped except the rain. I went back up to my car, had a tot of whisky, dried off and crashed in the back. It was probably the weirdest lure session I've ever had.
I've never found glowlights to be of any value, other than on the top of a deadbait float. Neither have I found that special paint jobs give me an edge. Yes pike hunt by sight most of the time, but they will also come to investigate noise and the lure I used that night had rattles. So I think that they tracked the lure from the initial splash and then the noise trail that followed. Just casting in approximately the same spot for an hour or more probably drew the fish in from some distance. The same tactics of course work during daylight hours too, but after dark a predator has less chance to check out a less than natural lure and reject it. So try black lures and fluoro/lumi lures if you must, just make sure they have a loud rattle and give noisy surface chuggers like the Tiptop a real go too. But save it for the summer.

[ 24. November 2004, 02:17 AM: Message edited by: argyll ]

What about those plugs with the flashing led?
I have one somewhere but daren't use it incase I loose it, cost a small fortune.

Black is best.

Surface is usually best.

Steady speed and only strike when you FEEL the fish rather than hear a 'take'.

Summer may be better but as long as the water is not hard on top, you will catch.

I like the arbogast jitterbug or a buzzbait.

If you forget and strike when you hear the fish make a try for the lure, just continue on at a steady speed and try to wait until you feel the take.

Did I mention how hard it is to make yourself not strike when you hear the fish try for a take?