Well I have managed to adapt to waking up at the dark hours of early early morning (3amish) but pretty much all my plugs are day colors. I want to put together a small "night kit" with the bare essentials or "must haves or don't bother" lures for the rest of this season and all the rest to come.

Right now all I know of to get is a Black Darter and Black Needle. Past that, what would you guys recommend? Note: it is always a bit windy where I am too.

Dumb question, are regular silver tins worth tossing at night?

I have looked all over the place but people rattle off lures like mad but as a surf caster the surf rats only use a handful. I am looking for that handful.

Help!

Its a tough thing to say there are night colors and day colors.Yellow has actually done well for me at night and I've killed on blurple bombers in the daytime.

Generally speaking at least in my case darker colors on dark nights have treated me well.I would add a bomber type swimmer,and a nice big danny style swimmer on top of the needle and darter.

Pt.Jude Joe makes several of his tins in black(Black Knights).

Not trying to start a color debate, just lures to add to the kit is all, appreciate it!

Not trying to start a color debate, just lures to add to the kit is all, appreciate it!

Not a problem.Anything for a fellow Maiden fan!

I would add some additional bomber type lures, mombo minnows, redfins, and top a lot of your lures off with a teaser. I would highly suggest adding a north bar bottle darter. Pick a color of your liking. Also, some McKenna style rigged sluggos are always in my bag. Another thing i dont leave home without is a couple of swim shads. I keep a 4" for the skunk breaker if things are tough and a 6" for most other occasions. I will add my .02 on the color thing... I dont often throw lures that are straight black. I prefer a little color on my plugs no matter what kind they are.

Rigged sluggos in black for when it's not windy. Also Bigfish Prey in black or blurple when it's kinda calm out ;). Gotta second the Danny recommendation. As for needles, try the Hab's Night 'n Gale, Lordship Blast, and the new heavier Superstrikes. See ya out there :D.
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My best producing plug all around is a loaded neon green (spray painted) redfin... to tell you the truth, neon green anything at night... I dont fish dark plugs at night on purpose... silver baitfish dont turn black at night... the bass will see it just fine... just focus on profile and presentation. If a bass passes on your plug, its not because it didnt see it because it was white...

Olive Mambo, then use your day lures at night or get black or blurple versions.

... Or throw eels.

Night colors I throw: bone, gold/white, white w pink stripe, copper, black/gold.

I never throw straight black plugs.

Plugs I always carry, loaded redfin, north bar plastic darter, atom jr, needles. That's it.

If it's windy where you fish load the Northbar, it's on their site, casting distance is increased alot.

Try the new heavy ss needles like stated before.

Or saltys makes a super heavy needle that will cast thru anything.

I've crushed fish at night on light colored plugs,
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black bomber

Hm, seems I was wrong in dark colors. My day kit is:

Green and White SS Darter, Yellow SS Needle, Chartreuse Bucktails and White Bucktails, Yellow and Schoolbus Bombers, Assorted Storm Shads, Zara Spook, Chartreuse Chug Bug and a Black/Silver Chug Bug, Chartreuse and White SS Sinking Popper.

Out of that I mostly use Bucktails, the Needle, Darter if the forage is matching, and tins (usually these are the ticket during the day). I give the spook a shot and the SS sinking popper but they have yet to produce. The Bombers I have yet to get a tail slap on them this year.

Hence with all the bright colors not producing in the dark hours, it makes me think darker color is needed (yes I know how to use the lures but something isn't feeling right :) )

I'd lose the Chug Bugs!!! Not that they don't work. They cast like crap. Maybe add a pencil popper or two.

Zeal -
Seems your from my neck of the woods. My night bag for the last month or two has been (give or take a plug or two) SS Bottle in yellow, SS Darter in gold, Northbar Bottle Darter in bunker, Bombers in chicken scratch & greenback shimmer, Vision sand eels, bucktails, small Ruru Danny in yellow, SS needles in dark green over silver(009), Hab's Jr. in Yellow, and a Ruru Small Eely in blurple.
I'd say that 2/3rds of my night caught fish in that time period came on the SS gold darter; no moon, bright moon, didn't matter.

I'd lose the Chug Bugs!!! Not that they don't work. They cast like crap. Maybe add a pencil popper or two.

Yeah like I said earlier, I don't use them. I forgot how I ended up with them now that I think of it....

My night bag has eels... The right color every time

My night bag has eels... The right color every time

Sort of a guarantee you will plateau as a fisherman, though.
Like a trout guy who is good with worms.
Then again, if only results matter it is not a wrong strategy.

Hence with all the bright colors not producing in the dark hours, it makes me think darker color is needed (yes I know how to use the lures but something isn't feeling right :) )

A school bus or yellow bomber will almost always work at night, so possibly you either lack the confidence to fish it enough, and/or are retrieving too fast.

Dark plugs certainly have a place. A dark needle in particular is worth carrying and trying.

Parrot, purple, then yellow/white are the colors in order I use most at night. I agree, however, that color is usually a minor factor at night.

If there is no light, how can color be perceived ?
Match the hatch by day, and use them at night.
During the day pay attention to how the lure works, it has to mimic what the fish are on, don't just cast and retrieve. Then apply that technique at night.
Practice and confidence will equal success.

Or you can take the art out of it and just throw eels.
Eels are easy and they work. :uhuh::fishin:

If there is no light, how can color be perceived ?
Match the hatch by day, and use them at night.
During the day pay attention to how the lure works, it has to mimic what the fish are on, don't just cast and retrieve. Then apply that technique at night.
Practice and confidence will equal success.

Or you can take the art out of it and just throw eels.
Eels are easy and they work. :uhuh::fishin:

An excellent way of putting what I was taught for years!

I work my ass off using my plugs in any possible way, it's just at the dark hours the skunks start showing up. I don't doubt it is me, but I just can't rule out the other factors.

Either way, frustration is just driving me nuts here.

I guess this is just an intervention rather than lures. Fished for many years but always a lot to learn concerning the art of surfcasting. First season I have ever had not marking a damn fish and also not outfishing the rest even though the people around me are getting skunked as well. All your advice helps greatly, I guess this is just a fisherman's "growing up" phase considering I am just a kid compared to all you guys' experience.

Sorry for the long post above, but now that I have all that understood, the only thing lacking would be a Bottle Plug to fight the winds correct?

Usually when I go to fish they are chasing Sand Eels primarily, out of what I have, the logical thing to use would be the SS Needle, Pt Jude tins, and the Bombers.

Darters, Sinking Poppers, etc. have that fatter profile so to me it would be the last things to honestly give a shot if the previously mentioned aren't producing.

Am I wrong again?

If the water isn't too shallow, weighted ron z style.:uhuh: