Fishing under lights at night is good 12 months out of the year, but it is perfect during the hot summer months when daytime temperatures can make standing on “the deck in the glaring sun less than appealing.
During the hottest days of the year, snook, trout, and redfish follow bait directly to bright light, like moths to the porch light. Since I sell boat lifts for a living, I suggest installing the biggest, brightest lights on your docks. Some systems can be remotely controlled with a phone app.
To turn your dock into a fishing Mecca, you must learn to use existing facilities for maximum return on investment. You can also feed shrimp and minnows with cornmeal and keep them attracted to lights at night. Once you concentrate the bait, you will also attract the fish. For more information on this, check out my YouTube channel.
If you don’t have a dock, you can still light up the night with powerful and lightweight lithium battery spotlights or purpose-made fishing lights that run on your boat’s electrical system. Some of these are submersible.
Turn the lights on and hang out for a few minutes. You’ll be amazed at how many baitfish show up.
When you find fish, concentrate on that area with repeated drifts.
I prefer an artificial shrimp jig or live shrimp. Live shrimp are the most effective bait, but I like artificials because they limit the amount of tackle and hassle. A good technique is to drift down a series of lighted docks and cast to the lights.
This is a redfish caught off a lighted dock using the Barefoot Jig.
Lights aren’t always green, blue lights are also very cool.
A word of advice: Be quiet! Older and wiser snook or trout are not stupid. Use the trolling motor only when it’s needed and not at all when possible. Fish become wary of the sound of a trolling motor. Remain calm and make as little noise as possible on your drifts. Don’t play music, stomp around on the deck, talk loudly, or slam cooler lids.
The light attracts the fish, and catching them is up to you. Match the hatch by noticing the type and size of the bait you see. When the fish get picky, this might require casting smaller jigs or even small shrimp or baitfish flies.
Fishing at night under lights is the perfect atmosphere for teaching children how to catch fish. This technique’s visual aspect is very entertaining and educational.
Enough about the bottom. I occasionally troll for a LITTLE WHILE, but this would be to accomplish two things simultaneously. First, catch a fish or two and locate the best part of any given ledge with lots of bait/fish on the bottom. When we find the bait, reel in the troll baits and get to work! Everything you catch trolling, you can catch on the light line while you’re grouper fishing. Tuna, dolphin, and wahoo are idiots for a big fat (live) greenie, sardine, cigar minnow, or goggle eye out behind the boat in the current.
SALTWATER TACKLE YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY:
7/0 and 11/0 J-Hook Ching Weights: Target fish include Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi or Common Dolphin, King Mackerel, Wahoo, and more. Easy to rig!
4 oz. Crab Decoy Jig: Target fish for Striped Bass, nearshore Drum, Snook, Grouper, west coast bottom fish, and more.
4 oz. Tuna Squid Decoy Jig: From the eastern, western, Alaskan, and gulf coasts, target fish include: Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, Fluke, Flounder, Striped Bass, Seabass, Amberjack (east coast), Yellow Tail (west coast), California White Sea Bass (west coast), Grouper, Snapper, Halibut, Ling cod, and all Alaskan bottom fish.
8 oz. - 12 oz. 10/0 Squid Decoy Jig: Catch BIG Grouper, Amberjack, Giant Stripers, and more.
