I fished last night from 9:30 - 12:45. It wasn’t the ideal time to fish over the past week but its when I could get out. Obviously there were fish around, plenty of splashes and slurps from what sounded and looked like both small and decent fish and certainly there were some more underneath. For me, noting but a run through my entire plug bag, a few lost jigs and a tired morning:wall:.

Anyone else fish the nights lately? If anyone wants to even give me a slight hint on what’s working for them at night please let me know and drop me a PM, I am extremely frustrated - I must really stink at this fishing thing because my memory says spring fish are "easier"....

Don't know what they were on bust sometimes they don't want to eat when you think they should or they are simply on other bait
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don't feel too bad. i was throwing everything I had at breaking fish the other morning and not hooking up when others were. very frustrating...

I fished last night from 9:30 - 12:45. It wasn’t the ideal time to fish over the past week but its when I could get out. Obviously there were fish around, plenty of splashes and slurps from what sounded and looked like both small and decent fish and certainly there were some more underneath. For me, noting but a run through my entire plug bag, a few lost jigs and a tired morning:wall:.

Anyone else fish the nights lately? If anyone wants to even give me a slight hint on what’s working for them at night please let me know and drop me a PM, I am extremely frustrated - I must really stink at this fishing thing because my memory says spring fish are "easier"....

You have not been reading my posts. The Canal is humbling to all of us. 42 years I have been chasing the striped ones and I'm batting around .250. That translates to skunked 3 out of every 4 trips. The only ones I know that catches all the time are Back Beach and T. Orlando. I am so discusted that I'm not going anymore. I'm staying with what I know. THE BAY!!!

i'm right there with you~~~~
was prolly across the ditch from you!!!

mine was worse, imho,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
i whiffed on 2 takes; my first cast about 45 mins
BEFORE the breaking fish directly in front of me.
if it helps, the hit was ona bullet headed, eel painted, 2oz jig
that sported sum olive over white eely rubber. i also doused it with eeeel potion.

once the tails started slapping and the fish started breaking the surface,
i went from top water to swimmers to jigs to darters and back again to the one
that brung the first take~~~~~ all to get me,,,,,,,,,,,,BUPKISS!!!!

still, it was sweet seeing the action and i'll take it for my first time out this migration and my first time to fish the Canal.
prolly should've thrown a 7" white tsunami swim shad, if i FRIGGIN' had one then :wall: :wall: :wall:

keep at it,,,,,,you cain't CATCH, iffin ya don't wet a line!
these next few weeks should be the beginning, or so THEY say??

The aroma of cedar drives fish "BoNkErs"!:uhuh:

Fished Friday night into Saturday morning. Fish were acting as you described. Picked up over a dozen on 7" olive mambo minnow. Picked up a few on 7" shad and a couple on a jig but they seem to want something just running under the surface that night, even in the heavy current. Nothing large, all were between 22 and 30".

9 times out of 10 if I experience those conditions I can get some strikes if I put on a 6" skinny Hogy. From my experience when they won't touch the plugs they are usually on smaller bait and the 6" Hogy with a weighted hook will still cast far enough on light tackle to get out to the fish. That 1 out of 10 time is always the time that makes you wonder if you want to keep fishing or not though, isn't it?:rotf2:

Good Luck

gonna hit the canal tomorrow night.. this should be interesting. :hihi:

Wear your rubbers!:uhuh:

:rotf2:

When the fish are on smaller bait i always have good luck on an AH stubby needle. Its a dead ringer for the whiting that were around. It cast like a bullet so reaching the fish is never a problem. Working it like a pencil skipping across the surface has worked wonders for me.

Thanks for all the support! I actually have the 7 inch Mambo as a go to - and nothing wanted it. Thats why its fishing...
For those of you who recommended the faster retrieve - are you taking into consideration it was dark? I was always told at night the fast slappy retrieves spook fish? I did not try a soft plastic on top, and probably should have as that sounds like a profile / depth combo I was missing.
Its just a first time out - but I certainly was angry as I left last year feeling like I was moving forward on the learning curve of that place.