Night catfishing or catfish fishing has become very popular, especially recently. You can still catch plenty of fish and dodge the heat and traffic the day brings. Moreover, catfish become increasingly active as the evening progresses, leading to better bite periods. In terms of comparing it to other types of fishing, there isn’t anything other than night shark fishing. For both of these types of fishing, you pretty much just set your baits and wait it out. This article will review various aspects of night catfish fishing, including baits, gear, techniques, and more.
Before we get into the meat of this article, I would like to bring to your attention a tool that has helped me on the water—the Fishbox App. The Fishbox app is your digital fishing guide that gives you extra information about gear and weather that is hard to find elsewhere. Additionally, the Fishbox App takes over 40 weather metrics to give you an all-in bite score that is easy to read. In this case, we could use the Fishbox App to see which night would be best for night catfishing this week. So don’t wait any longer; download the Fishbox app today. Without further delay, let’s jump into the article!
Catfish Behavior: This is the big question about catfish behavior that we must figure out to determine if night catfish fishing is worth it. Based on my extensive research on this topic and my personal experience, most species of catfish are, in fact, nocturnal. For those who don’t know what nocturnal means, it simply means that they are more active at night than during the day. Catfish seem more active at night as they seek food in these lower light levels. Since this is the case, night catfish fishing seems to be a worthy endeavor and something I have found success with.
Feeding Habits: Because catfish become more active at night and often look to feed, night catfishing is a no-brainer. There is no other time, maybe other than early morning, when the catfish bite will be better. So, take advantage of this and go out and catch yourself a catfish tonight. One more thing before I move on. It is important to remember that catfish are scavengers, so use baits that align with this.
Increased Odds: There are increased odds of getting catfish bites at night for several reasons. First, as we just talked about, catfish are nocturnal hunters. They love to coast around the shallows at night to hunt their prey. In addition, baitfish and other prey tend to move closer to the bank, bringing the catfish to feed in the hours when it is dark. Lastly, catfish like the dark because they feel more comfortable venturing out and looking for food. In summary, the food moves into a more optimal spot as the night wears on, bringing in the catfish and their appetite.
Heightened Sensory Abilities: Other than just the name, the “whiskers” on the catfish are there for more than just good looks. Funny enough, these “whiskers” are called barbels and allow the catfish to feel and sense out its prey, even with barely any light. This being said, since the prey of catfish doesn’t have the barbels, catfish can get the jump and feel them out before the prey can even have a chance of escape. This means that while the prey is relatively disoriented at night, the catfish is perfectly fine without light.
Environmental factors: Various environmental factors play a role in catfish bites at night, and this is a great place to consult the Fishbox App. The Fishbox App can identify patterns like lunar phases and water temperature to better predict the bite, giving you a greater picture of what’s happening beneath the surface.
Best Time to Catch Catfish at Night
Ideal Times: In summary, the best catfish action you should have would be from about 5:00 PM to 7:00 AM. I realize this is a huge time range, but I’m simply trying to give you guys the best hours for catfish fishing. In my personal experience, I would argue that sunset is the best time for catfish fishing. Different anglers will say otherwise, but I like fishing from sunrise to a few hours past dark to cover a larger window. On the other hand, some guys love to get out there at midnight and fish till the morning—I’ll take a pass on that one. Although the bite is very similar, I don’t want to wake up at midnight to fish.
Ideal Seasons: The best seasons for catfish fishing are early Spring to mid-Summer. The water temperature warms significantly during these seasons, bringing lots of new life and higher fish and prey activity. This stirs up the catfish more than usual, resulting in better bites. Don’t get me wrong, Fall and Winter can also be good for catfish, but most anglers will tell you that Spring and Summer are the most productive months. During those colder months, the catfish retreat to deeper water and slow down in hunting and eating.
Moon Phases and Water Temperature: The moon phases and water temperature are other important factors to consider when night catfishing. As I mentioned, the Fishbox App does a great job factoring this already, but in general, the warmer the water temperature, the better the bite, and either full moon or moonless nights. This last part about moon phases may seem contradictory, so let me explain. Some anglers love moonless nights, whereas other anglers love full-moon nights. This is clearly up for debate, and I would encourage you to do some hands-on research to figure out what you like the best.
Can You Catch Catfish During the Day
Night and Day Difference: Catfish fishing during the night versus the day can be significantly different, especially depending on where you are fishing. For example, one big difference is the pressure on the fish. Most anglers prefer the comfort of fishing during the day, where they can see everything happening. This results in more boat and/or foot traffic, potentially hurting your fishing more than fishing with fewer people and traffic at night. Additionally, as we have already discussed, while it is certainly true that you can catch catfish during the day, the odds are that catfish fishing at night will be far more productive due to some of the factors we listed above. In my experience, the number of times I’ve fished for catfish during the day far outweighs the number of times I’ve fished for catfish at night. However, I have picked up on some patterns, such as the late evening bite you don’t get when you fish in the middle of the day. So yes, you can catch catfish during the day, but odds are the bite wouldn’t be as good if you were fishing at night.
Conditions Catfish are Active during the Day: As I just mentioned, catfish can most certainly be active during the day. For best results, I recommend fishing for catfish when the water is pretty warm, between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This warm water increases predator and prey activity, feeding the bite. Additionally, catfish also love the condition of having cover during the day. This gives them a sense of protection and a better vantage point to ambush. These are a few conditions to look for when fishing for catfish during the day.
Differing Tactics in Day Versus Night Catfish Fishing: One of the biggest differences in tactics is that catfish are more likely to be in deeper water and near structures during the day. This should mean your baits should be placed in these areas. Alternatively, when catfish are actively seeking their prey at night, you can afford to spread some rods out in the shallows to catch one of these feeding catfish. Another thing to consider is appealing to the catfish’s sense of smell and ability to detect prey at night, since there is no light. You don’t want to use a bait that doesn’t stink or put off a lot of vibration and activity at night. This makes it much harder for the catfish to find, whereas, during the day, you could get away with this because of the light’s visibility.
Where to Cast for Catfish at Night
The Best Locations to Find Catfish at Night: Catfish sit in a few nighttime spots. Here are some of the more common ones.
Deep Holes: These are great places to find catfish at night, especially around colder months, when the catfish tend to hunker down. However, even in warmer months, catfish love these deeper holes at night because of the cover they offer them. This allows them to readily come out, pounce on prey, and have a spot where they feel protected.
Cover: This is a fairly broad term, but I’m referring to things like branches, logs, weeds, etc. Bait and other prey naturally hang around this cover, so you can be sure catfish will be close. This is especially true at night when catfish push closer to bank cover for food.
River Bends: River bends are another great spot to set up to find catfish at night. The bends in the river naturally bring bait and other cover into play, so the catfish are not far behind. These bends also form natural little eddies or breaks in the current, where catfish often sit in these pools to ambush passing prey.
Lake Edges: Lake edges combine some of the other topics above. These edges often have more cover and bait than other lake areas and offer ample space for catfish to patrol when searching for food at night. Be sure to spread your baits at various depths to cover different parts of the bank, and try to set up near cover if you can.
Using Technology to Find Catfish at Night: Unless you are catfish fishing at night on a boat, you won’t be able to use technology like sonars and fish finders to locate the catfish. However, if you are in a boat, you can look for structures and holes on the bottom where catfish should dwell. Let the sonar be your eyes underwater and identify spots, like we discussed above, where catfish could hide. This can include fallen trees, logs, holes, ledges, and drop-offs.
How to Catch Catfish at Night
Step-by-step Walkthrough for Setting Up: Before I even get to the spot I want to fish, I would pick out a spot that checks off some of the characteristics we listed above. You can do this using a combination of different things like Google Maps, the Fishbox App, and even scouting out a spot earlier in the day. Second, I would bring some comfortable chairs and rod holders so you can relax while waiting. Third, I would bring a few different types of bait and spread them out over the area where you are fishing. From there, I would highly recommend attaching a bell to your rods. That way, you can be sure you hear when the catfish strikes. Now, you’re ready to go. Stay awake, chat with your friends, or doze off and wait for the bells to wake you up.
Recommend Bait Types: Here are a few of my thoughts and research on bait.
Stink Baits: While stink baits are not my favorite catfish baits, tons of anglers use them, especially at night, due to their stench. Since the catfish will often rely on a sense of smell at night, stink baits are a great way to go. The only downside is that these baits don’t produce any vibration that could be picked up from the lateral line of the catfish.
Live Baits: These are my favorite baits for night catfish fishing. Bluegill has always been my go-to for a few reasons. They are highly energetic and hardy and are natural prey for catfish. While the smell may not be as strong as a stink bait, the vibrations output by the live bait are unrivaled, and catfish should be able to find it easily, even under the cover of darkness.
Cut Baits: Cut baits are another great strategy for nighttime catfishing because, again, they are often natural food for the catfish, and they produce a good smell for the catfish to lock on to. However, there isn’t any vibration output.
Artificial Baits: While I have caught a few catfish on artificial baits over the years, this isn’t worthwhile, especially when fishing at night.
Techniques for the Best Bait Presentation: I would say the presentation doesn’t matter that much for cut and stink baits. However, this is a much different story for live bait. The biggest thing you want is for the bait to swim freely so that it looks and swims as naturally as possible. For this reason, I suggest hooking the bluegill very high up on the back so as not to hit or interfere with any of the major organs in the bait.
How to Use Scent and Sound Attractants: I don’t have much experience with scent and attractants, but they work just as they sound. At night, you’re trying to take advantage of the heightened hunting senses that catfish have at night. That being said, scents and attractants are totally up to you. I do plan to experiment with these more in the future as well.
Essential Night Catfishing Gear
List of Must-Haves for Night Catfish Fishing: Here are some essentials for catfish fishing at night.
Rods and Reels: This depends on your target size and type of catfish. Bigger catfish may even require conventional gear to hang with these fish. However, a decent spinning combo will do all you need if you target smaller catfish, 15 pounds and less. If you are more interested in what size rods and reels you should be buying, plenty of online fishing forums would be happy to assist you and point you to the right setup.
Terminal Tackle: At a bare minimum, I would recommend at least a 20 lb braid for the capacity and strength. For hooks, I also prefer Kahle hooks or fairly large circle hooks. I also would recommend some kind of fluorocarbon leader. Again, it’s hard to put specifics on this gear as the size of catfish varies, so it will take some extra research to figure out the line strength you need.
Lighting Equipment (Headlamps, Lanterns, Glowsticks, etc.): This is a huge part of fishing at night. You simply have to be able to see, or else your night will be a dangerous disaster. You have to be able to see your hooks to bait them and even land the fish. Bring spare batteries and extra lights just in case something goes wrong. Additionally, some anglers will even put glowsticks on their rods so that they can see them at night. Also, if fishing on a boat, ensure you have all the required lighting gear per the law.
Safety Gear (Life Jackets, First Aid Kit, etc.): This is another huge aspect of night fishing, especially when on a boat. The water is dangerous enough with the lights on, so we need to be extra careful when they’re off, and it’s dark. Make sure everyone is wearing life preservers if on the boat, and whether fishing from a boat or the land, you need a first aid kit to deal with unexpected injuries.
Importance of Staying Visible: Stay visible! This is especially true if you are on the water at night in the dark. You need to wear reflective clothing or have lights on so people know you are there, so they don’t hit or run into you. I know this can seem stupid, but I can assure you it is worth it. You would much rather be safe than sorry.
Catfish Sensory Adaptations: God amazingly created catfish. He created them to be able to hunt and feed even without the presence of light at all. While catfish may not have been blessed with the greatest eyes, they were made with a lateral line and barbels that allow them to be excellent nighttime underwater hunters. Combining these two parts of the body allows catfish to effectively hunt down prey in the water and find it relatively easily.
Reliance on Barbels, Lateral Line, and Heightened Smell: As we just discussed, catfish are amazing creatures. They are a prime example of the Lord’s creativity as he sought to create a species that didn’t need its eyes as much as other fish. It speaks to the uniqueness of all of creation and just how intentional our God is. As you have hopefully seen from this article, we have to appeal to the senses of the catfish, especially when fishing under the cover of darkness. Remember, it takes patience to figure these things out, but don’t be afraid of that.
I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this article as much as I have written it. I hope that you were better able to get a grasp on night catfish fishing and that this article will prepare you better going forward. The last advice I would give is to ask locals and other experienced anglers for tips. Even for myself, I have learned some of the most important fishing information just by asking questions to other anglers who are more experienced than I am. Have fun out there on the water, and, as always, good luck and tight lines!
About author
Photo Source: All photos in this article were provided by expert Pierce Latta.
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Pierce Latta
16 years fishing experience
Pierce Latta has been passionate about fishing since the age of three, growing up casting lines in both freshwater ponds around Charlotte, NC, and the saltwater of Ocean Isle Beach. With nearly 16 years of experience, he’s explored almost every style of fishing imaginable, from fly fishing and surf casting to offshore and inshore adventures. Pierce now shares his knowledge and enthusiasm with others, offering tips, techniques, and inspiration to help anglers of all levels discover the thrill of fishing.
