Wow, my login still works. It's been a long time. Since I saw one of my favorite topics, I had to post something. As far as night fishing goes, when I do get the chance to get out at night, I'm targeting the larger nocturnal trout and therefore use big stuff too--large wets, nymphs and streamers. Most people who also are hardcore nighters do the same too. But, there in lies a big mistake as well. Night fishing isn't always just using big stuff. Sometimes you have to go small to continue to be successful at night. This summer in CT has been very hot & dry and the Farmington has been at a great level. A lot of insect activity that normally takes place around dusk and into early evening has been pushed back to almost daybreak.
A quick lesson: 2 or 3 weeks ago, I fished at night and started with big Harvey Wets. I caught 2 heavy weights right off the bat. After that, b/c of the commotion, I had to let the water settle a bit. After awhile, I could hear fish work the top again but my big stuff wasn't working anymore. I went fishless for awhile. I got " taps " but I think they were smaller fish due to the size of my flies. At almost daybreak, I switched to a small caddis pattern and did well. At first light, spinner activity that should have been earlier in the evening started. So if you end up not having big stuff work anymore try finding out what's really going on and go smaller.