One of the only good things about the hot summer temperatures is the fact that it creates mild overnight temperatures that allow us to fish at night. Each year more and more anglers are giving night fishing a try and telling others about it. One popular type of night fishing involves fishing around lighted docks after dark. This fishing is very relaxing and usually does not require you to travel too far, give the number of docks we now have lining our waterways. Many nights the fishing action can be as hot as the weather especially when it comes to catching trout. Once the sun drops on the horizon the dock lights come on and the action begins. The light attracts tiny organisms that in turn attract larger predators and the chain continues until the trout show up to eat the baitfish and shrimp that have come for the feast.
Most anglers will look for a stretch of river with several lighted docks and work their way down the line from one dock to the next until they find fish. You can use the same tackle as you would use to target these fish in the daytime hours. A light-medium action rod with 6-12lb test line should be sufficient. The type of rod and reel is a matter of preference. Some anglers prefer to use a bait casting reel with a rod in the 7-8 feet in length, using a flipping technique to pitch their lures up under the docks. This technique will allow you to place your lure under the dock with very little splash, but you really need to be within 15’-20’ to flip a lure efficiently. With most of the docks in the area, unless you know the folks that own it, you probably want to stay a little farther away and cast toward the dock. Lure selection is pretty much the same as you would use during daytime hours. Some anglers prefer dark colored lures because they cast a better silhouette in the darker waters, but others feel that a flashy lure works best especially as it passes through the strike zone under the light. The different types of lures used include soft plastic baits, like twister style grubs, hard