Fishing at Night

I'll admit that as I get older the less night fishing I do, I'm starting to have a hard enough time standing up in the river during the daylight never mind at night! Over the years though I have learned a few things to pass on.

• Learn the water you are going to fish in the daylight when you spot the things that will give you trouble at night. Pick a location that has lots of backcast room.
• Never fish alone and have some way to signal your partner, a whistle etc, should you need assistance.
• Use a headlamp to get to and from the river but try to limit its use while fishing. If you must use it to tie on fly or untangle point the beam away from the river or else you will spook the fish. After using a headlamp it will take your eyes time to readjust to the darkness so try to avoid this whenever possible.
• Fish feel more comfortable at night and will often move into the shallows to feed. Fish these areas instead of the deeper pools that you would fish in the daylight.
• You can get away with larger flies and heavier tippets at night, use this to your advantage.
• It takes fish awhile to adjust their eyes to the lower light so don't rush it.
• Glow fly lines, strike indicators and even materials for tying flies are all available and can all help in tracking your fly.