If you read my previous post, you will know that Night Fishing offers some great opportunities in the state of Arizona. Most specifically it offers these opportunities at golf courses. Since that is where I have experienced the most success, this guide will focus mostly on those. 

What is Night Fishing?

As it's name would imply, it is fishing, but it is done at night. There are several differences though that sets night fishing apart from fishing during the daylight. 

1. Night fishing eliminates certain species of fish.

There are 3 types of senses that fish primarily hunt by: 

• There are sight hunters which means they find their food using their vision. These fish typically have large eyes and are more "streamlined" in body shape. 

• There are smell/sensory hunters. These type of fish typically find their food by having a strong sense of smell, usually with some kind of feelers that pick up scent. 

• The third type is a combination of the first two with one added ability. They hunt slightly by vision, slightly by smell, and slightly by feeling vibrations in the water. 

As you might have guessed, night fishing mostly eliminates the types of fish that hunt by sight. Some of these species are still active at night, but it becomes very difficult to catch them. Don't even try to fish for these types as you will mostly be wasting your time. 

The types of fish that I have had the most success with fishing at night are the ones that hunt primarily by smell. This includes the different types of catfish and carp of the world. I have also caught some bass at night, but I've had the most success with catfish personally so I am going to focus on those. 

2. Night fishing eliminates certain types of baits. 

As mentioned above, anything that hunts mostly by vision will be very difficult to catch at night. That means you can throw out the jigs and spinners and basically anything that requires sunlight reflections to be effective. Top water jigs can work if they are able to make enough noise and vibrations on the top of the water to get the attention of certain types of fish. 

Personally, I have had the most success using hot dogs or worms. But, anything with a strong scent will be effective. You can use this with a bobber if you have a strong flashlight so you can see it, or you can go ahead and fish it off the bottom. 

Hot dogs really have become the wonder bait as of late. They are like catnip to fish. I have caught catfish, carp, and bass all on hot dogs. If you are going after those monster carp, dough balls work pretty well for them. 

3. Night fishing eliminates certain locations.

Golf courses are great for fishing at night for a couple reasons. The first reason being that you can't really fish them during the day, and secondly because they are easy to get to. If you live in the US, it is likely that there is a golf course within 10 minutes of where you live. 

That means that it doesn't require a lot of travel and the terrain is very easy to navigate. There might be a few sand-traps and trees out there, but in general it is much easier to walk across a fairway at night then it is walking over desert or forest terrain trying to make your way to the edge of a pond. 

You also don't have to worry about other predators that might be lurking out there near the natural lakes at night. We have coyotes, bears, mountain lions, and bobcats out here in Arizona. I feel much safer on the golf course if I am by myself at night. 

4. Night fishing eliminates certain fishing styles. 

As mentioned previously, you can throw out your spinners and jigs in most cases. You can also throw out your fly rods because fly fishing just doesn't work that well. Night fishing mostly involves bait fishing. Get your hot dog and throw it out there with a bobber or off the bottom. Don't be afraid to put more than one pole in the water at a time. 

Once you are set up with your bait out there, you wait. Catfish often move in closer to the shore to find food at night time so you don't have to worry about casting very far. 

Some other tidbits:

Remember that not all golf courses want you out there fishing in their ponds at night. Feel free to give them a call before you go out there and ask if fishing is allowed. The worst thing they can say is "no". However, if you are like me and would rather apologize later than ask permission first, you may have to hop some fences and be a little sneaky to really find those outstanding fishing spots. 

Most of the ponds on the golf course don't get much fishing pressure which means if you find a good spot your only problem may become trying to get the fish to slow down their biting so you can catch your breath a bit! Another added benefit of the light fishing pressure means that some of the fish in there are able to grow to massive sizes. I have seen a 40 lbs carp caught out of a golf course pond, and I have caught a couple 5 lbs catfish as well as a couple 10 lbs. bass as well... lunkers are definitely in there!

If you do end up sneaking out on the course, make sure you pick up after yourself and don't leave any trash. Also, I usually throw my fish back and I recommend you do the same. You never know what kind of chemicals and fertilizers might be in the water and also it is possible that the golf course paid to have those fish stocked in their ponds. You don't want to be stealing them now do you?! ;)

Good luck out there and have some fun! Share with me any night fishing stories, or just golf course fishing stories in general that you might have, in the comments section below.

Live well my friends!

Image Sources:

http://epicsnaps.com/53246/Night-fishing

https://www.buzzfeed.com/danmeth/the-freshwater-fish-quiz?utm_term=.hdNOQMWbQ#.ilQ39eKA9

http://truecouponing.com/2014/08/walmart-oscar-mayer-beef-hot-dogs-1-48/

http://www.clubcorp.com/Clubs/Anthem-Golf-Country-Club

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