Fishing the Dark Side - by Todd Fleming

Last Friday night I arrived in Aransas Pass around 10:00pm after driving from San Antonio. I was eager to wet a line, and try out some freshly tied flies. I stopped off at the Fin & Feather Marina to check the water conditions, and space available on the lighted pier. I saw small speckled trout flashing through the lights, and a T-head full of people. I'm sure I could have eased my way into a spot on the pier, and spent many hours catching scores of small schoolie trout. I had done this before on many occasions. But this night, I thought I would try something different.

I drove on down to Marker 6, rigged my kayak, and crossed the Shrimpboat Channel in the dark. I used my new kayak light to be “legal” while yaking at night, and crossed without a problem. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I could see well enough to move around. It was a moonless night, but there was a fair amount of residual light coming from the highway area. I was familiar with the water that I had crossed, and the area I wanted to fish. I was comfortable and felt safe, even fishing alone at night.

In the cut to the flats, the trout were popping shrimp on the surface, and making a lot of noise splashing around. While I could see familiar and distinguishing silhouettes on the horizon, I had to rely mostly on my senses other that sight. For instance, my ears guided me for judging direction and distance to cast. My hands struggled at first with the timing involved with casting the flyrod in the dark, but soon I was feeling the rod load and unload. It was like being blindfolded, and casting by feel alone. Casting at night without lights was a good lesson for learning to feel the action of the rod and flyline working together. I won't say that I avoided all windknots, because I didn't, but I think I did learn what it feels like to have the right timing. I also, used my feet to feel the contours of the bottom, and they told me when I was on the edge of the channel. I had to sharpen my other senses when darkness limited my ability to see.

I started casting to the splashing, and immediately started catching speckled trout. Most were small, but I also caught some larger ones up to about 19". My poppers and seaducers worked best for these fish that were feeding on the surface. I experimented and discovered that a steady retrieve worked best for the most consistent hook-ups. The fly boxes I had with me were mostly stocked with various sizes, shapes, and colors of weighted clousers. But luckily I had a few surface type flies with me as well. I normally drift weighted flies through the deeper water to catch fish in this area, but that had always been during the daylight. It is good to carry a variety of flies with you at all times. Be prepared for the unexpected. Every fishing trip is a learning experience for me, and that night was no different.

I had a great time. I caught fish continuously, except when I was “interrupted” by the bottlenose dolphin that came by to feed on the speckled trout. The breathing sounds of the dolphin surfacing nearby were unexpected, but the sound was not unfamiliar. I had seen and heard dolphin at night cruising around the lighted piers. I was not scared of the dolphin, and my first thoughts were actually selfish. I thought they would curtail my fishing success and drive the trout away. Those thoughts quickly were forgotten when the dolphin started crashing the surface, and large areas of water erupted as schools of fish panicked and thrashed the water in all directions to flee the pursuit. I was startled by this sudden change in my previously tranquil environment. I was standing calf deep in water, at the edge of a channel, in the dark, by myself, only a short cast from the action that seemed to be heading my way! My adrenalin was flowing! I quickly backed up to ankle deep water when my imagination wondered if that crashing could be sharks feeding instead of dolphin. Luckily for me, they left, and the specs returned to continue their own feeding frenzy of somewhat smaller prey. It is good to be on the top of the food chain!

At 3:30am I made myself stop fishing, even though the fish were still biting. I loaded up and paddled back across the channel to where I had parked my truck. I needed at least a short nap before starting out again on the B&R flats before sunrise.

The fishing this night was as good or better than fishing the lighted piers. It was definitely more exciting, and I felt like my chances for catching a larger fish were very good.

Things to consider if wade fishing at night:

1. Wear long pants to avoid concern for bumping into a jellyfish or man-o-war tentacles. Even floating grass touching the bare legs unexpectedly can be spooky for a beginner with an active imagination.
2. Be familiar with the area you plan to fish. At least explore the area first during the daylight hours.
3. Concentrate on careful foot shuffling, and go slowly even in very shallow water.
4. Be sure all hook barbs are bent down. And flies with larger hooks were also easier to remove from the mouths of fish.
5. I did have a headlamp that I only turned on to change flies or unhook fish with a deeper hookset. Otherwise I fished quite successfully in the darkness.

Some benefits to wade fishing at night include:

1. No need to use sunscreen.
2. No need to worry about someone walking into your backcast.
3. No light poles or railings to foul your cast.
4. Air temperatures are more comfortable at night than during the day.
5. The night sky is full of stars.

The solitude of fishing the dark side was enjoyable for me. I am anxious to work that area again, after dark. I hope to see you on the dark side.