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Night boating offers a completely different experience than a daytime outing. That ranges from sunset cruises to some of the best fishing of the day. Usually, when we think of boating, we picture throwing the ropes on a nice, sunny day. Or maybe an overcast one, since crafty fish can easily spot a glistening hook. However, how about those times that lend themselves to nighttime boating? Think of a sunset cruise, or catching a fireworks show from a great vantage point on the water. There’s also night fishing and sleeping over on the boat. That way you wake up right where you need to be to get on those fish!
Day vs. Night Boating
So, what’s the difference between boating during the day and boating at night? Just as day and night differ greatly on land, they can be very different animals at sea. Now that we’ve opened this can of worms, let’s tie up some info on those “animals” with some fishing line…
Best Fish to Catch at Night
While fishing at night can greatly differ from fishing in the daylight hours, it can also be productive. Some of the best fish to catch at night include:
- Snook, once you know where to find them and which live bait they’re biting.
- Mahi-mahi tend to move from weed lines by day to reefs at night, where bait fish hang.
- Sharks are more apt to feed during dawn and dusk, but they come out at night too — as any “Jaws” fan knows!
Tarpon are best fished by daylight, but you can also find them around piers and bridges at night. Those are places they like to seek shelter and have a little dinner of their own.
If you do boat at night, adhere to all the night boating laws in effect. Try to be prepared for pretty much anything. Even the weather can be very different on the water at night than it is on land.