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Pass Lake After Dark

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5K views 48 replies 23 participants last post by  Phil dingle 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, Leland @miyawaki suggested I try fishing Pass Lake after dark.

Perhaps it was revenge for revealing his love for PowerBait, perhaps Leland is even more of a badass than we knew and flouts the park ranger and law, or perhaps times have changed, but I can tell you that Pass Lake is not fishable after dark--at least not from the park.

Dark, it turns out, is after dusk-which is when the park closes.

How do I know this? Did I Google it?

Nope. My dumbass drove up there, arrived at 10pm, inflated my pontoons, and spotted the park ranger as I carried my boat past him. Lovely fellow, and we had a great chat.

To make matters worse, I can't even stop by the Shrimp Shack now.

Edit: Forgot a photo of Pass Lake on a cloudy sliver-moon night:
1591061237976.jpeg
 
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#4 ·
Park on the side of the road not the parking lot. I used to fish it after dark at least 3 times a week spring and fall for several years and only was asked to leave once when I parked in the lot. The ranger is technically right, the lot does close at dusk, but there is no rules stating the lake closes at dusk so access from the highway is fair game.

The bite really comes alive at about 1am.
 
#11 ·
I’ve spent many a night till sunrise fishing that lake...I bring the drift boat :) once and only once have I been spoke to at night...goes like this :)
“State patrol pulls in the launch cuz someone saw a boat with no occupant :)
...I was anchored taking a nap next to the bay by the hwy side launch, brown town :)
They start flashing their spot light on my boat and I finally respond after the radio/megaphone announcement for a response. They waved me off and I fished in peace by myself under the moon for hours :) THE END

on a side note, I’ve never seen the lake so busy the past couple times I’ve driven by
 
#19 ·
I've spent many a night till sunrise fishing that lake...I bring the drift boat :) once and only once have I been spoke to at night...goes like this :)
"State patrol pulls in the launch cuz someone saw a boat with no occupant :)
...I was anchored taking a nap next to the bay by the hwy side launch, brown town :)
They start flashing their spot light on my boat and I finally respond after the radio/megaphone announcement for a response. They waved me off and I fished in peace by myself under the moon for hours :) THE END

on a side note, I've never seen the lake so busy the past couple times I've driven by
Busy for sure....what gives...?? I fished it about 2 weeks ago and counted 11 anglers on the lake....none seemingly catching though.....must not be any fish in there......
 
#12 ·
Pass might have a few surprises for you after dark, fish and non-fish related. There's a big beaver who likes to do "home renovation" at dark along the shoreline. Watch your head for falling alders! ;)

And here's the "deep end dive" of the thread. Two years ago in the summer I talked to a couple guys at the launch one evening who were going to night fish out of a raft. One of the guys was like "this guy over here swears he saw a ghost in the trees", talking about his buddy. I figured he just saw a hiker along the trail that borders the lake, but he said they were in the corner of the lake opposite the ranger's house... I don't even know how you see into that shoreline due to how thick the brush is, so I was like BS....

Then...
I fished it dark a couple nights last May. One night, I vividly remember hearing a shrill, female sounding scream coming from the forested edge of the lake, highway side about 150 yards past the second bay. Spooked me to say the least.
 
#15 ·
One time some guys were coming in as I was pumping up my boat at about 11, they were surprised I was just getting started but very intrigued. They decided to stay and fish and see what it was about. I gave them some flies and advice and in return they offered me meth. Really didn't see that coming lol.
That was nice of them.
 
#20 ·
Well, Leland @miyawaki suggested I try fishing Pass Lake after dark.

Perhaps it was revenge for revealing his love for PowerBait, perhaps Leland is even more of a badass than we knew and flouts the park ranger and law, or perhaps times have changed, but I can tell you that Pass Lake is not fishable after dark.

Dark, it turns out, is after dusk-which is when the park closes.

How do I know this? Did I Google it?

Nope. My dumbass drove up there, arrived at 10pm, inflated my pontoons, and spotted the park ranger as I carried my boat past him. Lovely fellow, and we had a great chat.

To make matters worse, I can't even stop by the Shrimp Shack now.
I can't tell you how many times I have been out there fishing at dusk and slowly making my way to the launch/ parking lot in the dark as the bats are coming out....especially in the fall. Not once, have I ever been bothered by the Park Ranger or WSP. Maybe they come back a little later to see if I am gone.. I am not sure, but no problems at all. They probably get use to seeing "regulars" up there and check plates...who knows. I have talked to them a few times and always had a nice conversation.
 
#31 ·
What would be the best time for night fishing? Around the full moon?
i don't believe it matters, I never saw any difference in the fishing with a full moon and I tried during all moon phases, the fish can apparently see much better then it would seem even on a cloudy night. I've heard a lot of theories on fly color but also found it was trivial and had similar success on everything I tried. There is a definite slow down after things go dark and a marked uptick in the fishing a few hours after darkness with the peak bite between 1am and 3am. Fish cruise the shoreline at those times consistently so casting is much preferred to trolling. I know it's easier to simply troll at night but that's the least effective technique without a doubt. I eventually settled on a floating line and a weighted baitfish pattern and fished 10# plus tippet to help get flies back if I made an errant cast into the bushes. I didn't like kicking my tube into the shore at night (it's creepy) and in doing so spooked a lot of brown trout out of the shallows so avoided it at all cost. Give it a shot, you might be surprised how many trout are out and about and catching them in the dark adds another element to it. I always thought I'd catch the grand daddy brown of pass lake that way but never did, hopefully someone can do it!
 
#33 ·
As I wrote before. Big dark flies. They are backlit from the fish's point of view so a big dark silhouette is what you need. Also, they feed by feel. Hard strip and pause sends out vibrations in the water that are picked up by fish's lateral lines. That is how predators feed and make no mistake, big trout are predatory. It's been noted that large browns are piscatorial. . .

Leland.
 
#34 ·
As I wrote before. Big dark flies. They are backlit from the fish's point of view so a big dark silhouette is what you need. Also, they feed by feel. Hard strip and pause sends out vibrations in the water that are picked up by fish's lateral lines. That is how predators feed and make no mistake, big trout are predatory. It's been noted that large browns are piscatorial. . .

Leland.
I'll keep at it. Thanks again for the advice, Leland.
 
#35 ·
Used to fish the seep lakes at night. Got some big fish near shore on large dark flies. Big fish hunt the shallows. My biggest fish took at 4am within a foot of shore. Im guessing he thought my black maribou muddler was a mouse. Always did well with muddler headed flies - im guessing they sense the disturbance in the water. Fishing at night is funky - bats grab your flies, beavers and other animals will do things that affect your heart rate, etc. Have Fun!
 
#37 · (Edited)
The good old days ! The key to nightfishing is to know when to take a break a couple of hours before dark and go get pizza (desert=Moses Lake), then, you are prepared to fish as long as need be without hunger creeping in, fogging the brain into delusions of quitting.

One other key is never take anyone nightfishing who is a whiner and has a cell with a significant other calling to check in. If that is the case, you ask to borrow the phone and do a Quint from Jaws in the radio scene.. destroy it !
 
#43 ·
Excellent advice, but I must add be careful with consuming too much alcohol during that window;)
Or letting fried chicken sit in the hot car too long, then eating it. After driving three hours to a lake you've wanted to night fish at forever. Then getting food poisoning, and not getting any night fishing in because you're on your knees in the bushes asking God to finish the job. As your wife goes out for night browns laughing her ass off at you because she warned you about the chicken....
What??? You got no ice over there in the tulies?
 
#45 ·
View attachment 243856
Caught one of these last spring out there around midnight. I probably should have gotten a rabies shot after releasing him.
Was he swimming or did you use extra Gink to make it float........ Its amazing how they can pick out a fly on the backcast ........ first one I have seen hooked on a streamer usually its on a caddis or mayfly
 
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