3 of the Best Night Fishing Bass Baits

Single Colorado-Blade Spinnerbait
A spinnerbait with a large single Colorado blade is one of the best bass baits to toss after the sun goes down. Given the limited vision a bass has at night, the large Colorado blade is crucial. A large Colorado blade puts out a lot of “thump” in the water column, a vibration which helps bass locate and key in on the bait.

Try to retrieve the spinnerbait as slow while still making the Colorado blade rotate. You want the blade to thump and the spinnerbait to stay in the strike zone for as long as possible. Depending on the depth of the water fished, different sizes, or weights, may be needed.

If fishing the top of the water column or in shallow water, toss a lighter spinnerbait such as a ¼-ounce. It will stay higher in the water column with a slow retrieve than a heavier one will. If fishing the spinnerbait in deeper water, just off the bottom, tie on a heavier spinnerbait, say a ½-ounce or ¾-ounce.

Some opinions vary with respect to color for nighttime fishing. Some say it doesn’t matter because bass key on the vibration, others say it’s both color and vibration. However, most will agree darker colors are better.

My opinion is you can toss any color you want as long as it is black.

One last tip for nighttime spinnerbait fishing: add a trailer hook and hang on.

Bulky Jig
I have the same mindset on color selection with jigs as I do spinnerbaits. If it’s night, then black is right.

A big bulky jig is usually best when fishing at night; I find jigs with rubber skirts give a bulkier profile. With a large profile jig, pair it with a plastic trailer that moves water and gives off vibration.  Adding rattle to the jig also is good idea when fishing at night.

Same as during the day, pitch the jig to targets like normal. Aggressively shaking the jig in place will usually get the attention of any bass near the target. If I’m not targeting a piece of cover and simply fishing it along the bottom, I’ll “stroke” the jig by aggressively bouncing it off the bottom.

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A ½-ounce to 5/8-ounce jig are good options for this presentation.

Jitterbug
A jitterbug is a throwback lure, but these old-school topwaters still work wonders when fished in low-light conditions. Typically, the bigger the jitterbug is, the better it fishes at night. For color selection, once again go with black.

A jitterbug is one of the simplest lures to fish. Throw it out and real it in slowly. As with any topwater, knowing when to set the hook is the difference between a caught and lost fish. The temptation is to set to hook as soon as you hear a fish strike. Waiting until the rod loads up, your hook-up ratio will increase.

Fish are going to miss the bait from time to time at night. If your rod doesn’t load up after a strike, pause the jitterbug for 5 to 10 seconds before reeling again. The fish will often come back for a second try.