This muskie decided to wait to feed until the cover of darkness arrived. Photo by Pete Maina.

We arrived to do a TV show with Lee Tauchen, a full-time guide who had been fishing the same lake for a week. The report was he and others were seeing a fair number of muskies during the day, but overall it had been tough. He did say, though, that if we were willing to stick it out after dark for a while, it would very likely pay off. It did. The fish weren't anything tremendous, mind you, but one muskie in the low-20-pound range was caught, and one was missed. By muskie fishing standards, this is a success, certainly. However, the only actual strikes came after dark!

The interesting thing to note was that there had been some consistency for nearly a week where there was definitely a more reliable bite going on after dark. Every night, the opportunities were there, whereas during the daytime, actual strikes were doubtful.

Night-fishing for muskies is truly nothing new. Starting my career as a guide, I noted that Tony Rizzo had written about night-fishing success three decades ago. I've had success after dark for over two decades now myself, and many of the best younger guides rely on the night as a mainstay of their plan. Just keep in mind, though, that just like during daytime, weather and forage movements will result in varied success.

Though it's far from new, and many folks have spoken and written about their successes, one of the major advantages of night-fishing for muskies is still in place: lack of angler pressure. There is still far less direct muskie fishing pressure on the water at night. This simple fact ups your odds, in that you're more likely to be the first to come across a hungry muskie parked on a prime location. Also, because muskies actually have very good night vision, they are more apt to hit rather than follow at night, thus not being able to inspect things as well. I also believe muskies are a little more predictable in location at night. It's also a lot more peaceful and pleasant than during the day.

I've done a lot of night-fishing and have caught muskies after dark in five different states and a couple of provinces, and in rivers, reservoirs and lakes. I've learned some pretty important things. First off, it's simply not all that different from daytime fishing -- other than it's dark out. The equipment, lure choices, locations and weather factors are all very similar at night as they are during the day.

I originally assumed muskies really couldn't see very well, and therefore, straight-line slower presentations would be necessary. While they certainly work, it's not the case that they are the only things that work. Everything will, at times. I've seen fish taken on everything from soft plastics to topwater lures. The most reliable -- and best for the percentage game -- are in-line spinners or bucktails, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. A surprise, at least initially, was the effectiveness of jerkbaits, too, especially those that hang neutral on the pause.