Kayak Fishing for Big Stripers at Night
The first time I saw photos of guys kayak fishing for stripers at night, I felt the same as I do watching long-distance ski jumpers. It’s cool, no doubt, but also looks sketchy. My sweet spot for big stripers had always been just before sunrise and into the morning. Why change, right? So, for about a year after moving back to New England in 2020, I stuck to what I knew: launch early(ish), catch stripers until it got bright, switch to bucktailing or swinging slow-pitch jigs for bottom fish, and head home around noon.
But, over time, I learned that those photos weren’t the result of limited fishing hours or the novelty of targeting big stripers after dark. Anglers like Eric Harrison, Tyler Richman, and Danny Savage were constantly holding up slob striped bass, illuminated only by headlamps and moonbeams. It was mysterious and intimidating, but clearly an absurdly productive strategy. Around this time, I read (and then re-read) Janet Messineo’s Casting Into the Light, and was absorbed by her tales of black nights, free-swimming eels, and screaming drags.
In 2021, I dedicated myself to learning how to kayak fish for stripers at night. Thus began a journey that taught me a tremendous amount about these fish and completely changed the way I target them. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.
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Safety Enhances Productivity
The most important step to productive nighttime kayak fishing is carrying the proper safety gear. Knowing I had the right safety equipment helped me overcome what was the biggest hurdle of night fishing: it is flat-out intimidating being on the ocean in a plastic kayak in the dark. Confidence in the safety gear you’ve got on board is a great way to shift focus to the actual act of fishing in the dark.
Contrary to what you might think, many veteran nighttime anglers say that the fewer lights you turn on, the better. Given the chance, your eyes will adjust to the dark and, aided by star and moonlight, you’ll be able to see better with fewer artificial lights turned on. Coast Guard regulations vary by state and usually require at least a 360-degree white light in the dark. Beyond what the law requires, I recommend trying to go as dark as possible. I usually wear a waterproof headlamp but keep it off unless I’m unhooking a fish or hear a boat nearby. When fishfinder or bow lights shine, your eyes can’t fully adjust to the darkness beyond them. You’ll see what’s in your kayak quite well, but your vision will be much worse beyond that. Maintaining balance, leaning into the flow of waves, and knowing your kayak’s position are vitally important at night, so seeing further is always better. When you do turn on your headlamp, stick with the red light to minimize brightness.
In addition to lights, I recommend clipping a floating marine VHF radio to your PFD, ensuring that even if the worst-case scenario happens and you go in the drink, you’ll be able to get on the radio to the Coast Guard within seconds.
Lastly, pulling a cow striper into your kayak in the dark will test your balance and organizational skills. Stow your fish grip, pliers, and any other often-used gear in easy-to-reach spots. Most high-end fishing kayaks have tremendous stability, but leaning and reaching in the dark, when it’s easy to lose equilibrium, is a surefire way to flip an otherwise stable vessel. Stay safe, organized, and you’re on your way to successfully conquering the dark.
Once geared up, there’s no way to overcome the fears and anxieties around nighttime kayak fishing other than to get out there. Initially, I began by launching in the morning before dawn, since I always knew that light was on its way. If conditions were dicey or I didn’t feel entirely comfortable, I could rely on sunrise to come and ease the tension. To ease into night fishing, I recommend giving yourself an extra hour in the dark each time until you’re comfortable, whether that’s staying an hour later or launching an hour earlier.
Learn in the Light
Tidal rips, boulder-field orientation, and shoreline features all have one thing in common—they’re really hard to see in the dark. The most important part of actually catching fish at night is learning your spots in the daytime and at both tides. Striped bass tend to come shallow in the dark and want to orient themselves to maximize their chances at slurping a midnight snack. A thorough knowledge of current flow and structural position is extremely important at night when the only indication of your bait’s position is the splash it makes when landing. Mapping out an area in the day will ensure that once you hit that same spot in the dark, you’re casting into high-productivity areas.
When kayak fishing for stripers at night, being keen to your surroundings will also ensure you can actually enjoy the sublime feeling of being out under the stars, not to mention the fight itself when you hook up. Hearing a drag rip in the dark is much more exciting when you’re not concerned about drifting into a rock pile, so learn your spot in the light before heading out in the small hours.
Striper Movement
When I first began chasing stripers in the dark, the feeling of vulnerability and wide openness was strong and ever-present, so I stuck to the shorelines. The subtle glow emanating from a beach house or streetlamp provided not only comfort, but also a point of triangulation to help orient my kayak and understand where I was casting.
Large striped bass are creatures of tremendous strength, but they also want to make life easy on themselves. They didn’t grow to 45 pounds through reckless energy consumption. This idea is especially prescient in hot summer months when the water’s oxygenation can vary, and shallow waters become uncomfortably warm during the day. To ensure they’re constantly winning the battle between food consumed versus energy spent, big stripers relocate throughout the day. This movement is the key theory behind the success of nighttime anglers. I call it the “air conditioner theory.” During the day when the sun gets high, big fish feel uncomfortable in the shallow, warming water, so they head deep, the same way humans on a hot day gravitate toward whatever room in their house has the best air conditioning.
As the sun sets, shallow waters cool down and many big stripers move back in toward shore. They have many advantages here. The biggest is that shallow water means more structure, a narrow water column, and more places to hide, all of which enhance their chances at an easy meal. Baitfish prefer shallow water for the same reasons. Combined, the presence of baitfish, comfortable water temperature, and many hidey-holes mean a rich hunting ground for bigger bass and easy targeting by anglers operating at zero dark thirty.
Nighttime Kayak Fishing Baits
Surgically subtle—that’s how I’d recommend approaching nighttime kayak fishing for big stripers. Often, I’m sitting in water 15 to 20 feet deep, casting into 5 feet of water. I call it ninja mode—silence is crucial and I avoid shining my headlamp into the water. While it might feel right to counteract the darkness with a loud or bright bait, black, blues, and purples thrive in the dark. For the sake of subtlety and to offer up a large, lazy meal, my preferred nighttime bait is a live eel on a 7/0 circle hook or a big soft plastic, usually the Gravity Tackle 13.5-inch GT Eel in either black sapphire or shimmering eel color.
Of course, a live eel will do its own thing, so your only job is to keep it out of the rocks. For big soft plastics, either go weightless or try a ½-ounce jighead with an 8/0 hook. Poke around the shoreline, hitting each nook and cranny. Even areas that don’t typically hold fish in the daytime are worth picking apart at night. Work that bait nice and slow, offering the easiest meal possible.
Kayak fishing for stripers at night, particularly big stripers, is as exciting as it is productive. My trips used to run from about 4 a.m. until 1 p.m. Now? Up at 1 a.m., launching by 2 a.m., and fishing until 9 a.m. You’ll quickly realize that the ocean never sleeps and learn secrets the ocean shares only in the dark. For example, last summer I launched to a mile of blitzing stripers. They were so frenzied that they rammed my kayak at will in pursuit of peanut bunker. But when the first tendrils of sunrise slithered above the horizon, they were gone. You will discover a secret world out there in the dark, one that may be more alive than during the day.
Related Content
Utilizing Stealth in Kayak Fishing
Understanding Tide and Current
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