Solo fishing? At night?

[Huntrava]

Those of us who work odd hours have to fish when we can. I've got good memories of night fishing with my father on ponds and lakes in the Midwest while growing up, but I think there are some significant differences when you compare sitting on a bank in the dark to kayak-fishing in the dark. Especially alone.

This is probably going to trigger some folks, but I think it's a topic worth bringing up. Solo kayak fishing at night isn't necessarily a good idea, but what are some things one can do to make it less of a bad idea? Any safety, rigging, and fishing tips would be greatly appreciated.

[echo5oscar]

There's nothing wrong with fishing alone at night.

Things I would consider:
Life jacket. Keep anything ESSENTIAL to an emergency attached. Phone, whistle, compact high powered flash light, radio if you have one, knife. And if you're in the middle of no where, some type of high calorie/carb snack. If you get separated from your kayak or lost, you at least want some bare essentials on your body. Stow the "nice to have" shit away.
Make absolutely sure you are 100% comfortable dealing with flipping the kayak and re-entry at night. If you aren't, then you'll most likely panic.
Consider sticking to areas you know really well.
Plenty of visibility-reflection and lights.
Fully charged phone.
Don't take as much gear, it'll be less to potentially lose.
Headlamp with extra batteries, and probably an extra headlamp. Just because.
And the obvious like weather and making sure someone knows your plan of attack. Where you'll be, roughly the time you'll be out/back on land.

If you're scared and constantly worry about what "might" happen, then stay home. If you want to get out and fish, get out and fish. Just do it a little more prepared and smarter, and you'll be fine.

[EMSer]

These are all excellent points. I would add a radio and the ability to make LOUD noise in the event another boat is bearing down on you.

The one concept I would stress most if to fish in areas you know well in daylight. That will remove a lot of the variables you might encounter.

Know your gear. Know your capabilities. Avoid high boat trafficked areas. Plan for contingencies.

While I don't do it often, I thoroughly enjoy fishing at night. I usually find myself being the only one willing to do it. The hot topwater bite of late has had me returning to my car well after dark a lot recently.

Good luck and be safe!

There's nothing wrong with fishing alone at night.

Things I would consider:
Life jacket. Keep anything ESSENTIAL to an emergency attached. Phone, whistle, compact high powered flash light, radio if you have one, knife. And if you're in the middle of no where, some type of high calorie/carb snack. If you get separated from your kayak or lost, you at least want some bare essentials on your body. Stow the "nice to have" shit away.
Make absolutely sure you are 100% comfortable dealing with flipping the kayak and re-entry at night. If you aren't, then you'll most likely panic.
Consider sticking to areas you know really well.
Plenty of visibility-reflection and lights.
Fully charged phone.
Don't take as much gear, it'll be less to potentially lose.
Headlamp with extra batteries, and probably an extra headlamp. Just because.
And the obvious like weather and making sure someone knows your plan of attack. Where you'll be, roughly the time you'll be out/back on land.

If you're scared and constantly worry about what "might" happen, then stay home. If you want to get out and fish, get out and fish. Just do it a little more prepared and smarter, and you'll be fine.

[Slobber Bob]

Everything mentioned so far is great advice.

There is nothing wrong with going out solo at night if you are prepared for the worst that can happen and you make somebody aware of where you'll be going and when you should be back. Everybody should be doing that already in the daytime anyway. If you're comfortable with the body of water you'll be fishing, and you're mindful of the forecasted weather conditions for that evening, pretty soon you'll build the confidence to get out more after dark. Just take it slow from the start.

On full moon nights it isn't much different then being out during the day, almost

[Jman]

Keep in mind that it is "illegal to to possess striped bass while fishing in the Chesapeake Bay or its tidal tributaries from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.". This is from the DNR regulations.

[Dimo]

I've been out on a couple dozen nights and all of the advice here is quite good and applicable. Double and triple up on two lights: one for general navigation and one for task work. I would also add to know your own limits and recognize when you are hitting an energy wall and zoning out. Especially if you keep daylight hours and well, there generally is a lull around the 4-5 hr mark after the adrenaline has worn off and the tiredness kicks in. Find ways to stay engaged especially as weather / water gets colder. Practice supervised cold water immersion / yak recovery at least once to be aware of the reflexive nature of the cold.


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[Huntrava]

Thanks for the advice fellas. I took it all to heart and went out on Sunday evening, launching from SPSP at about 4pm. I was off the water around 9:30, which was much sooner than I'd anticipated.

At this point I've been yak fishing for about five years, and kayaking for more than a decade, and I feel quite at home on my boat. Cold water recovery is not a concern, though I dread to think of the dollar cost of flipping my yak if I were to happen unexpectedly. Organization is good, and getting better every year.

The most surprising thing about fishing under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the dark was the feeling of vertigo. I don't normally have any trouble on the water, but the darkness coupled with 2 1/2 foot waves made me a bit queasy. I was using three lights--a visicarbon pole, my headlamp, and a deck lamp, and they seemed to help a little.