Catching Freshwater Monsters at Night

Trent Jones getting it done on the Tyro, and proving, in the words of renowned rapper Travis Scott, "anything can happen at the night show."

When the sunlight fades away, the big fish come out to play.  It's proven that large, predatory fish are predominantly nocturnal, and tend to be on the move when most humans are fast asleep.  But if you're crazy enough to crush some caffeinated drinks, tie some big juicy flies, and hit the water, you might be able to entice a monster to eat.

It's not quite as simple as just staying up past your bedtime and fishing the way you normally would.  You're going to need to huck some serious meat and cover a lot of water.  When big fish decide to eat, they do it in a very small window of time, and seek the most bang for their buck.  This means high-calorie meals like baitfish, frogs, and rodents.  This is a game of quality over quantity, meaning you may go hours or even days without connecting with a fish. So as your eyelids become heavy with the strain of staring into the blackness, find a way to rally;  the more water you cover, the greater your chances of hooking into a trophy fish.

So for all you night owls, here is one of our favorite rodent imitations for bass, trout, and esox species alike.  Flies like this will give you the absolute best shot of catching a freshwater monster.  Video c/o InTheRiffle.