04-11-2003, 03:01 PM
[cool]Hey, Aaron, you sound like a real thrillseeker. I, myself, have always enjoyed night fishing, and especially from a tube. As long as you are properly equipped (with legal lights), and do not take unnecessary chances, you should be safe. The real key is to be sure you know the waters you are fishing well...from fishing them in daylight...and then do not tempt fate by venturing out into boating lanes. Stay close to shore or at least in protected areas.
There are many species that feed well after dark. I used to fish for big bat rays in several of the bays and harbors up and down the coast. Caught a lot of small dogfish and some decent leopards too. Those big bats will tow you around for awhile. If you want to land them, you need to kick into shore and get out onto the sand. Trying to get one too close to your donut can be dangerous. They don't have the long nasty stingers of some of the big southern rays, but they can still do some damage. Sharp spines and teeth do not belong too close to an inflated craft.
Catfish are well-known for their nocturnal feeding habits. For big boys after dark...on any lake...fish shallow flats or near the shoreline on steep banks, where they prowl for moonlight dinners. My favorite catfish bait is a big slab of mackerel or bonito. I fish it without any weight, and keep the bail open on my spinning reel...or freespool my baitcaster. Just like flylining a 'chovy, I let the fish run a ways before setting the hook.
With a float tube you are not limited to the "chuck and chance it" style of fishing from the bank. You can lay out a short cast, and then slowly move around over your targeted area. If you move a few feet and stop for a few minutes, and then continue the same way, you can find areas where the fish seem to congregate. Once you locate the feeding fish, it doesn't take long to collect a few. And, if you move slowly, a feeding fish can intercept the scent trail of your smelly old mackerel and will follow it to your hook.
Small cats, under five pounds, do not have the sharp spines on their dorsals or pectorals that smaller fish do. You do not have to be quite as careful about you or your craft getting punctured. Still, if you want to keep catfish in a live bag or basket...or on a stringer...you will do well to cut or break the strong spines before letting them out of your grasp. Makes it easier to handle them at the fillet board later too.
On the subject of Catalina, YES, it is a good place to plunk a donut...if you pay attention to tide and weather conditions. If you go back through some of the early posts on this forum (click on the other page numbers at the top and bottom of each page), you will find that we have had a couple of discussions here. There was also a bit of chatter about it on the California BFT board. I looked it up and copied the link for you.
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=22450;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=22450;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread[/url]
If you have good sense and don't like great white sharks, you should consider that there are several resident great whites around Catalina that are there for the abundant seals. If you go tubing, don't act like a seal. Here's a pic of Kiyo fighting a great white off Long Beach.
![[Image: SATO3587CustomImage0226316.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SATO3587/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SATO3587CustomImage0226316.jpg)
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There are many species that feed well after dark. I used to fish for big bat rays in several of the bays and harbors up and down the coast. Caught a lot of small dogfish and some decent leopards too. Those big bats will tow you around for awhile. If you want to land them, you need to kick into shore and get out onto the sand. Trying to get one too close to your donut can be dangerous. They don't have the long nasty stingers of some of the big southern rays, but they can still do some damage. Sharp spines and teeth do not belong too close to an inflated craft.
Catfish are well-known for their nocturnal feeding habits. For big boys after dark...on any lake...fish shallow flats or near the shoreline on steep banks, where they prowl for moonlight dinners. My favorite catfish bait is a big slab of mackerel or bonito. I fish it without any weight, and keep the bail open on my spinning reel...or freespool my baitcaster. Just like flylining a 'chovy, I let the fish run a ways before setting the hook.
With a float tube you are not limited to the "chuck and chance it" style of fishing from the bank. You can lay out a short cast, and then slowly move around over your targeted area. If you move a few feet and stop for a few minutes, and then continue the same way, you can find areas where the fish seem to congregate. Once you locate the feeding fish, it doesn't take long to collect a few. And, if you move slowly, a feeding fish can intercept the scent trail of your smelly old mackerel and will follow it to your hook.
Small cats, under five pounds, do not have the sharp spines on their dorsals or pectorals that smaller fish do. You do not have to be quite as careful about you or your craft getting punctured. Still, if you want to keep catfish in a live bag or basket...or on a stringer...you will do well to cut or break the strong spines before letting them out of your grasp. Makes it easier to handle them at the fillet board later too.
On the subject of Catalina, YES, it is a good place to plunk a donut...if you pay attention to tide and weather conditions. If you go back through some of the early posts on this forum (click on the other page numbers at the top and bottom of each page), you will find that we have had a couple of discussions here. There was also a bit of chatter about it on the California BFT board. I looked it up and copied the link for you.
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=22450;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=22450;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread[/url]
If you have good sense and don't like great white sharks, you should consider that there are several resident great whites around Catalina that are there for the abundant seals. If you go tubing, don't act like a seal. Here's a pic of Kiyo fighting a great white off Long Beach.
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