Thoughts and Questions on Night Fishing

[Mantis]

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[AaronJasper]

If I am using a pusher style fly I like to put a string of shot in front of it. For example, go 6 in and put one small one. From there go another 6-10 in and put another, slightly larger shot. I have had great success doing this. One thing to remember, as fall progresses the water is usually low and clear. The trout will be ultra aggressive. So do not rule out the fact that the trout will be inclined to take wets and pushers presented near the surface. For my leader I use the Humphries wet fly leader. I use the same dimentions but I use MUCH heavier leader materials and taper it down to 0X. No need for light leaders.

[Davyfly]

What you will also find is as day light hours decrease trout activity at night will also. often as not dawn and early AM can be way better than dusk to dark, during the fall and winter periods.

DW

[Mantis]

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[AaronJasper]

Just remember that you do not want the shot too close to the eye of the fly. You do not want the fly right on the bottom. You want it slightly off the bottom so that the fish can get the fly easily and you can get a good hookset. If your fly is plasterd to the bottom I don't think it's easy to get a good hookset. About the glow in the dark line, I don't think it's necessary, but of course that's only an opinion as I never tried it.

[AuSableTrophyhunter]

Harvey's night fly will twist your leader, so incorporate a small black swivel. Have you tried mouse flies on the surface? You may have less strikes but the trout are most often larger. The hard part is learning when to set the hook with a mouse pattern.
I had a lot of success catching trout after dark with wet flies just beneath the surface. I cannot see the line well enough to detect takes BUT enough trout take it hard enough for me to feel the take and or they will hook themselves with enthusiastic takes in faster water. At night simple is better.
Now, fishing to big trout at night during the Hex hatch in Michigan, is a high art. The big fish require a perfect presentation of a dun or spinner and you can put a smart trout down with one bad presentation. These trout have been pressured and are many season old and have been caught before in their lives so, the big ones only come to a drag free drift with a fly that is convincing. The hardest part is controlling your nerves when you know that big slurping noise is coming from what may be the biggest trout you may ever catch on a dry fly.
Your casting must be already in your muscle memory as you cant see at night and you have to concern yourself with the timing of the trout's rise. Night time,is no time for an angler that is still learning to fly cast.

[Mantis]

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[Silver Creek]

[quote author=Mantis link=topic=3680.msg27728#msg27728 date=1255479084]
I live and fish in central PA for wild trout, and I love exploring new waters and getting around Pennsylvania.

I've been out night fishing a couple dozen times now, and I've had moderate success. I've landed some decent fish but have mostly found pretty slow action. I'm using Harvey Night Flies mostly and the wet fly tactics used to fish it are not what I'm used to. In the daylight, I'm a nymph man.

Through the years, I've collected just about everything that Joe Humphreys has written or recorded, and I've gone over and over the books, videos and interviews where they pertain to night fishing. The man is a master.

Mantis
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I don't know if you caught Joe Humphries pod cast on night fishing. Just in case you didn't:

http://www.askaboutflyfishing.com/sp...-humphreys.cfm

[Mantis]

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[NJFred]

Stop playing around with da bugs, cut your leader way back and put on and fish big black streamers. You will find night fishing much more rewarding. ;D