| Norm (Doc) Klayman introduced me to night | | | | |
| fishing with worms and jigs and black lights | | | | The strikes come during the short pauses, on |
| on Bull Shoals Lake back in the 1980s. It is | | | | a slack line, so you've got to pay attention. |
| still my favorite way to beguile bass when | | | | Sometimes all I feel is a tick or a bump |
| the rest of the normal world is sleeping, but | | | | similar to a worm bite. Sometimes the line |
| it isn't the only way to fish at night. | | | | just goes completely slack. Quite often, |
| | | | however, I get this slight wiggling |
| In fact, just about every type of bait used | | | | sensation. It's weird: unlike any other bite. |
| during the day has its night time | | | | |
| devotees-except crankbaits. | | | | Now, I'll admit this is my favorite way to |
| | | | fish crankbaits at night because I'm |
| I'm not particularly fond of crankbait | | | | basically a finesse fisherman. I find simply |
| fishing in general, but I do love night | | | | casting something out and cranking it back a |
| fishing and experimenting with different | | | | bit boring and far too much work for someone |
| baits and techniques, so a few years ago I | | | | who fishes all the time. But it is far from |
| got to wondering why not crankbaits? | | | | the only crankbait method that will work at |
| | | | night. |
| Since bass have little trouble spotting a | | | | |
| dark worm slithering through the ebony depths | | | | After using big crankbaits at night for a few |
| at night, surely they can see a crankbait | | | | months, I mentioned it to Dave Stewart, who |
| wiggling and bumping about. If buzzbaits | | | | is probably the best bass guide on Kentucky |
| speeding across the surface bring bass up at | | | | Lake. |
| night, surely the average crankbait doesn't | | | | |
| move too fast? | | | | "Funny you should mention that," he said. "I |
| | | | haven't used crankbaits at night since I |
| A lot of people use spinnerbaits at night | | | | moved here, but I used to win a lot of night |
| too. Why do crankbaits seem to be about the | | | | tournament with crankbaits when I lived in |
| only bait type allowed to rest? Why is it one | | | | Frankfort, KY. I didn't throw big ones, |
| can easily find black versions of every bait | | | | though. Won every tournament throwing a #7, |
| type, except crankbaits? | | | | black/silver Shadrap on shallow points. But I |
| | | | had it digging bottom as much as possible." |
| Maybe there was a practical reason for the | | | | |
| crankbait's exclusion from the dark hours. I | | | | Dave said most of his strikes were hard, but |
| started asking other night fishermen if | | | | I assume that was because he was using a |
| they'd ever tried crankbaits at night. The | | | | smaller bait that must be retrieved faster to |
| common answers were: "I just never thought | | | | dig bottom. Whether you're fishing during the |
| of it," or "I've just never tried it." | | | | day or at night, all crankbaits work better |
| | | | if they're digging bottom. |
| Not one fisherman gave me a practical reason, | | | | |
| so off into the night I went with hard baits | | | | Recently I read a report of other Kentucky |
| attached. | | | | Lake fishermen catching big smallmouth on the |
| | | | pea gravel points and main lake banks at |
| If you've just never thought of it, or you've | | | | night with Magnum Wiggle Warts in crawfish |
| just never tried it, maybe you should. Bass | | | | patterns. Obviously, a few other fishermen |
| most definitely will hit crankbaits at | | | | have been asking themselves "why not |
| night-big bass. | | | | crankbaits at night." No telling were it |
| | | | might lead or what it might produce. |
| My favorite method is to fish big, | | | | |
| deep-diving crankbaits in relatively shallow | | | | The possibilities of crankbait choices and |
| water. It is a method I learned from David | | | | techniques for night fishing at this point |
| Fritz one day on Kentucky Lake many years | | | | are only limited by the imagination of |
| ago. I retrieve them very slowly with | | | | fishermen. It is things like these that keep |
| frequent, short pauses. I'm constantly | | | | bass fishermen coming back with renewed |
| bumping bottom with this retrieve, and I only | | | | enthusiasm, decade after decade. It is, above |
| pause a second or two, but it takes almost as | | | | all else, a thinking man's sport. Now I'm |
| long to complete a retrieve and make another | | | | wondering if anyone has ever tried suspended |
| cast as it does with a worm. | | | | jerkbaits at night? |