Published: July 17, 2008 11:32 pm            

Explosive Bass Action after Dark

As the last rays of the sun tinted the western horizon a brilliant pink, a lunker bass smashed my Norman Deep Little N with explosive force. The bass was suspended in 12 feet of water right off a four foot ledge. As soon as the crankbait swam off the shelf the bass made a quick meal of it, or at least he intended to. With darkness falling fast the massive bass exploded through the surface and wallowed on top like a wild sow in the delta muck! After quite a battle I was able to wear the bigmouth down and pull him into my net.

By now the sky had turned dark and I was anchored within casting distance of the shallow end of the steep ledge. After a quick photo, I released the eight pounder back to grow up some more. Casting back onto the ledge my retrieve was stopped dead in its tracks after only ten feet or so, as another bass almost identical to the first smashed my offering again. As soon as I bowed up on the fish he fought like an enraged bull and the battle was on again. This time the bass wore down a little quicker and wasn’t much of a match for my 7 1/2 foot G-Loomis crankbait rod!



Literal School



Cast after cast to the same spot had equal results as the bass were stacked up and smashing my bait. If they didn’t hit the lure when it came off the shallow ledge, I would stop the bait in mid stream and then pump it slightly if they didn’t bite on the first stop. One or the other usually got their attention and they couldn’t stand it. Six casts and six lunker bass in the four to eight pound range on crankbaits no less, it was truly amazing.

But it didn’t end there, as I switched tactics and the bass got even bigger. This time I picked up my jig rod tipped with a crawfish colored football head jig. As I cast the jig and Paca Chunk up onto the shallow shelf, I hopped it off into the deeper water and let it glide down. It only went a second or two before I felt my line moving off to the side. Reeling in the slack I bowed up on the bass and let him feel the steel. In an instant I felt the thrill of another massive lunker exploding like a torpedo towards the deep water.

After quite another battle I landed another eight pound bass and quickly took a photo before releasing him back into the dark waters. One more cast to the same spot drew another ferocious strike as that bass almost tore the rod from my hands. The drag just couldn’t feed out line fast enough for the big bruiser.



Pleasant Fatigue



After a dozen casts and as many bass I was worn to a frazzle, but refreshed by the exciting activity and cooler air. As the temperature fell and the air became more comfortable the bass had peformed their nighttime feeding frenzy, feasting on my Norman crankbaits and crawfish colored jigs.

If you’re looking for some exciting fishing action then head to your favorite lake or bassing hotspot and give it a try after dark. The weather will surely be more pleasant and you just might experience some of the hottest bass action of the year. I know it was on my trip!

        

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