With the fishing season on the horizon, a little advice from ESPN’s “Bass Professor,” Doug Hannon of Odessa, Florida, might be appropriate. Having been a student of bass habits since his graduation from Tulane University nearly 30 years ago, Hannon believes that catches at night are remarkably better when the moon comes up before the sun goes down. His record of having caught more than 400 largemouth bass in excess of 10 pounds tends to attach credibility to that belief.

Hannon’s studies of bass has shown him that only one bass out of ten will strike a fisherman’s lure. Big bass instincts are keen enough to equate most lures with man and trouble. At night, however, bass are more inclined to make mistakes. Therefore, angler’s flaws are often obscured after dark, which results in better catches by the moon’s pale light.

“Few bass would ever strike a lure if they stopped to investigate it carefully,” stated Hannon. “They would notice quickly that the offering wasn’t the shiner, frog, or crawfish that it normally ate. At night, close inspection is more difficult for the fish, and it may strike without looking closely. In the dark, the bass just hears and sees something that may be food or foe and strikes it blindly. This gives the night caster a big advantage over the daytime fisherman.”

Hannon believes that bass have been picked on and pushed around so much by fishermen over the years that they have developed a natural aversion to man, which causes them to react with fear to the very presence of humans. At night, however, the bass may not have the same awareness of the close proximity of man.

“Fish can see well enough at night to attack any silhouette between them and the sky, even without moonlight,” revealed Hannon. “I am convinced that solunar influences have a big impact on fish. Therefore, they will strike more frequently on those nights when the moon comes up in the evening before the sun goes down.”

Since bass at night attack a silhouette above them, Hannon believes that color isn’t much of a factor. He is certain, however, that the darkest lures produce the strongest shadows because bass, like man, have cones and rods in their eyes, so color perception is about the same. Also, fishing line is basically invisible to bass at night, regardless of size.

Swimming lures like Blakemore Road Runners, curlytailed grub and jig combos, larger Striper Series Swirleybirds, flukes, or dark-colored spinnerbaits that can be fished above the waiting bass are very productive night fishing lures. These are even more enhanced if they are retrieved above a sandy bottom or near lighted or light-colored boat docks. The bass tend to orient toward these light or pale-colored backgrounds in order to better see the outline of their prey. These structures can become real bass bonanzas at night, especially as the water starts to warm this spring and the fish become more and more active.