Surf tips for fishing undercover of the night.
There are so many advantages to owning the night – no crowded beaches, hardly anyone out on the road as you run between spots… but I think best part of it is the challenge of having to truly understand the elements and develop the ability to read a beach when you can’t actually see anything.
So how do you successfully become a predator of the darkness? For starters, prioritize understanding the structure you’re working with at night. The best way to do that is to scout your spots during the day, and at both tides. Sure, you can give it the “old college try” at night, but odds are you won’t be successful if you’re just blind casting into the darkness.
During your daytime scouting it’s especially important to visit at low tide first, which will allow you to identify structure and note the locations. By day at low water you’ll be able to see sandbars and troughs, and depending on where you’re fishing, gain a better understanding of the bottom itself (is it rocky, sandy, or muddy?). Then, when you go back at high tide, pay special attention to how the water is moving, in combination with everything you saw at low tide; this will help immensely when you return at night.
And do yourself a favor and check out the parking situation, including the local parking signs. There’s nothing worse than coming back to your truck after a good session only to find a ticket on the windshield, or God forbid finding your rig has been towed. I frequently fish the Sandy Hook rip along the North Jersey coast at night where a night fishing permit is required afterhours; without that you’re getting towed or ticketed, know the local rules and regs before you go.
Strategy Session
Tides are one of the most important parts to figuring out when to fish. I like to fish both tides as I feel like it gives me better odds if one tide decides to produce over the other; it also helps make the most out of my on-water time. I typically stick to the golden rule of first 3 hours and last 3 hours, as those first and last 3 hours of a particular tide are when I typically see the most action. During slack tide, or when the tide is changing, the bite tends to turn off as the current is at its weakest. If you’re fishing out front on the beach, you can usually expect an incoming tide to produce better, as that strong, incoming water pushes the bait straight into the wash, making for shorter casts as stripers chase baitfish virtually at your feet.
The eyes are a powerful organ; let them adjust accordingly to the ambient lighting of the moon or surrounding lights and you’ll see how quickly your night vision takes over. At times you may even being able to see the occasional tail slap, ripples in the water, heck, you may even spot baitfish jumping. That leads me to listening, as the ears are another great tool in the arsenal. If the wind isn’t howling, you may hear fish splashing which can help you gauge positioning on the beach. If there are other anglers nearby that you may not necessarily be able to see, you can certainly use your hearing to your advantage here, a rod whip, the rattle of plugs perhaps. This helps in terms of not crossing lines, but also provides more insight as to whether you may have just stumbled upon a bite.
Another great strategy to help with your vision is to only utilize a red light which helps your eyes drastically at night instead of a white light. It’s not as harsh as a white light in the pitch black, it can also help those of us who might be somewhere we shouldn’t be or don’t want to burn the spot, blend in when we need to use a light. I’ve met a lot of fisherman who also believe the white light scares off fish; I don’t necessarily believe this myself, but to each their own. If you’re daring enough to wade into the darkness, your safety should be priority number one; no fish is worth dying for.
I would mention that wading, especially at night, should be more of a slow walk with a shuffle of the feet. You never know what you’re stepping on or where you might make that last step into a deep drop off, the surf can be unpredictable. And remember, never turn your back completely to the water, especially out front; all it takes is one rogue wave to dampen your evening.
Moonbeams & Plugs
In simple terms, the more moon you have, the higher tide you can expect and likely a more aggressive current. Every surfcaster is different with the moon phase and tide they prefer to fish. Some folks won’t fish a certain moon phase or tide, but given that I fish when I can, I couldn’t care less. With that said, I do prefer a full moon over a new moon. Just remember that currents play a huge role in your success at night, as moving water can take your lure and spit it up in an instant without you ever realizing it. Try casting as far left down a beach as you’d like, and if that current is pulling you’re all of a sudden reeling in from the farther point right. Use that to your advantage, just as a predatory fish would use it on unsuspecting baitfish.
If the current is ripping in one direction, it’ll probably be wise to pitch it up in the direction it’s coming from and work your lure downstream with minimal effort. If you try to fight that tide, you’ll tire your forearms out before you even hook into a fish. If there’s a lack of current, you better know what lure to toss and how to finesse it into making some proper motion in that water to drum up a strike.
Understanding currents, moon phases, tides, structure, and how you see and hear at night are all valuable tools of the night trade. All that is useless however if you aren’t utilizing the right colored lures and the proper lures for the conditions at hand. I have a wide variety of plugs in my bag at all times because I like to be prepared for whatever conditions I walk into, but there always a few tried and true lures that are always in my bag when I go out at night. While it all depends on the season, I typically start with the same rotation to see what’s hitting and what’s not. I’ll generally start out with a topwater, and for sure my floating SP Minnow with black top that fades into a navy blue and silver belly. This is my go-to that I always cast first; with these first few casts I’ll trying various retrieves to see if I can entice anything to bite.
Next, before going deeper into the water column, I’ll take out a bone spook; my thought being if the SP didn’t drum up any bites, perhaps an aggressively loud shake of a spook will do the trick. If these both provide unsuccessful, I’ll try going deeper into the water column with something along the lines of a sinking SP Minnow. The second it hits the water a couple of hard and fast cranks ensure that it’s getting down where I want it to be. In terms of colors I like the tried and true blurple (black and purple) or a black top and silver belly.
At this point I might turn to my metal lips. I don’t have any specific call outs on colors for my metal lips, because I truly have so many, but I’m typically going for darker colors with little hints of sparkle in them or flashes of white or silver. Lastly, after I’ve experimented with various colors and water column depths, it’s time to start jigging up bucktails and swim shads. I love using a classic white bucktail with red tie accompanied by a pink pork rind. There’s truly nothing better than catching a striper on a bucktail that you’ve learned to finesse. For swim shads, I typically like to match the hatch and utilize a color of a bait that’s currently running; and I’m almost always throwing out an eel color regardless of the time of year.
One last tip is that the second I see that sun start to break on the horizon, without fail I am swapping my lure to a chicken scratch color.
Primed For Night
If you prefer the night chunk route over plugging, a really solid head lamp is key. As the spring season progresses you have better odds of chunking your way into some toothy critters at night, so being able to see while going to remove a hook is necessary for your safety, and the fish’s. Bells are also recommended, with the constant crashing of the waves, the howling of the wind, if you don’t have bait runner on your reels, the bells will help you determine if you’re actually getting a hit or not. If you prefer the silence of the surf at night, glow sticks on your rod are quite helpful when alerting you to a hit.
A rod holder is another nice addition to your arsenal so you can sit back and relax while your rod is secure and you wait for a hook up. If you’re out with a crew while chunking, having a hand-held spotlight could be useful as well. We’ve used that plenty of times while targeting sharks, as it helps gauge where they’re at in your fight to keep a spotlight on that fin sticking out of the water rather than trying to guess.
Preparedness is key to becoming a midnight marauder. I always keep pre-tied leaders on me; who wants to sit there and tie up new leaders in the darkness? Having rigs at the ready saves time and reduces the need to turn my headlamp on every time I have a break off or get snagged. And if you aren’t heading out with a buddy, do yourself a favor and make sure someone knows where you’re going and when to expect to hear from you. Often times when I’m out in the surf, I lose track of time; I’m not on my phone or my phone is in my car or bag. I always make sure to let my wife know where I’m headed.
Also be respectful of the areas you’re fishing; clean up after yourself, be mindful if you’re fishing somewhere you shouldn’t be. I have had cops roll up on me while out fishing; as long as you’re respectful they don’t really give you a hard time. Speaking of which, make sure you have proof of your saltwater registry or fishing license on you; some folks have it on their phones, which might be left back at the truck during a night sessions. I’ve also had enforcement folks roll up on me a few times, doing their jobs of course and looking for poachers and bad actors; be mindful to have your necessary documentation, and the interaction is usually harmless.
I’ve had more sleepless nights during the season than I like to admit, and some have resulted in nothing but skunks. But those long nights and fishless sessions become irrelevant when you get into the fish of a lifetime, or a bite that’s all yours for hours on end in the darkness. There’s something special about being a surfcasting boogeyman that only those who live that life can appreciate.
