I am currently rereading Harold C. Hollis‘s 1945 book, Bass Tackle and Tactics, in order to write a book review for Bass Fishing Archives. In doing my research for that upcoming review, I scoured online sources and old newspaper files for information on Hollis. I came across a number of newspaper columns he wrote in the late 1940s, two of which were about nighttime bass fishing that I thought readers of BFA would enjoy looking at. Hollis’s column was dreamily titled “Along the Wilderness Trail with Harold C. Hollis.” It ran for a decade in The Duluth News Tribune beginning in 1946, a year after his bass fishing book was published. Following the cessation of “Along the Wilderness Trail,” Hollis continued to work for the paper and regularly wrote on a wide variety of topics, including the outdoors. I’ll discuss Hollis’s biography more fully in my Bass Tackle and Tactics review, but for now let’s just take a look at his thoughts on bass fishing at night.
Hollis wrote two columns, a year apart on night fishing. The first was published August 1, 1948, and that’s the one I’ll be reproducing below, word-for-word. The second was published August 14, 1949, and I’ll just touch on a couple high points in that column. I should also say that Hollis wrote a great many stories for outdoor magazines of the time, as well as contributing to other columns like “America Out-of-Doors” (image below), a column we’ve discussed several times here at Bass Fishing Archives.
If you’re one of those bass fisherman who want the thrills of surface fishing and find the fish in your pet-lake reluctant to hit top-water artificials now, try casting for them after dark.
Like several other game fish species, black bass, especially the larger ones, become night feeders during warm weather. Anglers who knows this pick up a lot of big bass and enjoy some of the keenest thrills of the season during the period when daylight fishing is likely to be uncertain.
Bass of three or four pounds are not uncommon after dark and you’re likely to tie into a real “lunker.” Most of those taken at night will weight two pounds or more. The larger fish hold the choice feeding spots and the angler who locates these can cash in.
First requirement of successful night fishing is to find these feeding areas, generally confined to a relatively few favorable places.
Big-mouth may be found around lily-pads and weed beds, but playing a heavy fish in the darkness in such places creates a lot of problems for the angler.
A favorable site for small-mouth, and sometimes for large-mouth also, is a sandy, gravel or rocky place where there is an abrupt drop from shallow to deep water. These places are much easier to fish than the weedy sites.
Floating fly-rod lures, feather minnows, hair mice and hair frogs, are among the best night lures, although occasionally underwater artificials will take fish after the surface offerings have been ignored.
Casting-rod or spinning-rod anglers probably will find surface or near-surface plugs most effective and easiest to use. Pork chunks, fished dry line, is another excellent night lure and, with its weedless hook, can be used in weedy areas where most other lures cannot be fished at all.
Best catches are usually made on warm, clear, moonless nights. A full moon, cool weather, heavy mist or high winds seem to have an unfavorable effect on fishing.
Besides bass, the night fisherman may take some large wall-eyed pike, which also are night feeders during the summer and will hit surface or near-surface lures. Night fishing for bass is legal in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Minnesota restrictions on night fishing apply only to trout.
Hollis’s article a year later begins by advising the angler to not be discouraged or think his lake is “fished out” if he’s unsuccessful during the day. Night fishing may be all that’s required to change one’s fish catching fortunes. He advised staying out until at least midnight, and even after. Both largemouth and smallmouth will be found in the same places they frequent during the day. He also adds that in addition to surface lures, it may occasionally be prudent to fish deeper with “sinking or diving plugs, spinner flies or wabbling [sic] spoons.” Hollis also declares that the fly rod is often preferable to a casting rod, as it allows for a quieter approach with much less disturbance when the lure hits the water.
We’ve written a lot about night fishing at Bass Fishing Archives, with articles including “Night Fishing with Cal Johnson” and “The Jitterbug and Night Fishing.”
David, I’m happy to see some recognition for Harold C Hollis. He wrote some great articles on Bass Fishing for Field & Stream in the 30’s and 40’s. One that always impressed me was the one in the July 1937 issue on using ¼ oz lures for bass. Talk about being ahead of your time! Always wondered why his book is found with two different dust covers. Great article; he obviously knew night-fishing for bass.
Bill, I see that he advocated for light lures in his book as well, and offers several experiences and examples of their efficacy over heavier lures. Thank you kindly for the thumbs up.