Fly Fishing Alabama

Rules for fishing for catfish at night!

The chugging sound of the river tugboat pushing barges heavily grain filling, calmed frogs and crickets who shared the night with me while I watched the tip of the bar jerk catfish feverishly.

After the initial pull of the line every movement of my fishing rod stopped. I considered that for a moment and then decided to leave the bait where it was, if there was any left on the hook. It was too a nice night to exercise the power it takes to get the hook and lead out of the river bed, re-bait and the harness back into the dark deep waters.

My brother, cousin and I were sitting in our camp chairs to hear the night sounds echoing gently rocking gently against the Tennessee River, halfway between Decatur and Huntsville, Alabama. The day was scorching hot, but at 9:00 in the afternoon, the temperature is cooled by a pleasant breeze Southeast to the Gulf Mexico.

In order to fully enjoy a night fishing experience like ours, it is imperative that you follow a few simple rules designed to fishing trip to a pleasant evening.

Let there be light! This is a must for night fishing. Carry a flashlight or a field set of lights in the building operating outside the cigarette lighter of your car. Stumbling in the dark at the edge of a river or lake can be dangerous to your health.

Make sure they are able to tolerate his fellow fish in the fishing stretches of inactivity. Generally, the fishing buddies occurs among those who keep their mouths shut and enjoy the serenity of silence, but are difficult to find.

With advances in technology available today makes no sense not to carry a cell phone. Leave it in the car or truck to use in case of an emergency. Do not be tempted to call someone just to chat during a break in the action of fishing, unless has caught a whopper of a fish and want to brag a bit like a friend.

Take a good portable camping chair. Better yet, a chaise lounge would be preferable to a relaxing evening. The only drawback to this is when the reaction to a strike by a fish, it is difficult to get rid of the chair fast enough to establish the link. It can be embarrassing to fall in the face while catching the night is swimming the river with his rod and reel in tow.

You will need a cooler full of ice, soda and water. My years of experience in leisure activities have taught me that the river water and alcohol just do not mix if you are sitting on the bench or fishing from a boat. My advice is to leave them at home.

Nothing works up an appetite like sitting in darkness on the edge a river, chatting with the friendly company about anything that comes to mind. Usually, however, speaking merely the old fish stories about big giant captured and escaped. It makes you hungry!

Nobody really wants a sandwich when fishing at night, but are hungry for something more stable, such as hot dogs. Coal is a necessity for cooking hot dogs. Unless you've brought along a camp stove, burgers and steaks are problems that they are worth. In addition, the smell of catfish bait on your hands does not seem to stop at hot dogs the way it does in fresh meat.

Remember to insect repellent! Unless the wind is blowing gnats, mosquitoes and other flying insects away from you, insect repellent is a must!

Last on the list of equipment needed to take a night fishing trip are rods, reels, sinkers and hooks. Catfish seem to like smelly bait and that's what I use. When I was younger, I fish with chicken liver, shad guts and any other bait that had been left out in the sun to ripen. Today I just go to one store front large soft baits and buy bottled that smell as bad as I remember from my youth.

Fishing at night is fun. I've never claimed to be an expert in catching catfish, only an expert in fishing for them.

About the Author

Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.redfishbob.com
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com

Sipsey River Flyfishing, Alabama

Berkley HAVOC Devil Spear 4-Inch Bait

Mike Iaconelli_Berkley Bass Bait Pro Designer: In creating the Devil Spear, my initial thoughts were to make a bait that could be fished easily in extremely heavy cover and have great action on the fall. I wanted a bait that had no appendages which could grab the cover and keep it from falling straight through, but at the same time I didn't want a bait that just fell like a rock to the bottom. ...

Bass Assassin Armed Assassin Alabama Rigs 3/8 oz.; Houdini

$25.95

Bass Assassin Armed Assassin Alabama Rigs are taking the fishing world by storm! The castable Armed Assassins unique umbrella Alabama Rig design allows you to bait 5 hooks at once to perfectly mimic the action of a small school of baitfish. The Bass Assassin Armed Assassin Alabama Rig comes packaged as an all-in-one kit including a mini umbrella rig jigs and swimbaits. Available in 3/8 oz. 1/2 oz....

Bass Assassin Armed Assassin Alabama Rigs 3/8 oz.; Snow Storm

$25.95

Bass Assassin Armed Assassin Alabama Rigs are taking the fishing world by storm! The castable Armed Assassins unique umbrella Alabama Rig design allows you to bait 5 hooks at once to perfectly mimic the action of a small school of baitfish. The Bass Assassin Armed Assassin Alabama Rig comes packaged as an all-in-one kit including a mini umbrella rig jigs and swimbaits. Available in 3/8 oz. 1/2 oz....