Let it Glow
As a kid, some of my favorite toys possessed the magical ability to glow in the dark. Guess not much has changed.
Glow in the dark lures can be found in a variety of forms from soft plastics to spoons. One of my favorite methods to fish is to cast a glowing spoon just before sunrise at the mouth of a tributary of Lake Erie and brace for a steelhead to hammer it. It was 3 degrees this morning in Pennsylvania so it will not be long before I will be hunkered over a hole in the ice, jigging some tiny glow in the dark soft plastic grubs in the dark depths of a snow-covered lake.
Here is a pointer if you want to try out these glow in the dark wonders: Try charging them with a flashlight. One angler I know uses the flash attachment from a camera for a quick, powerful charge. Tip: Look away and hit the lure with the light under your coat or fishing vest. You do not want to alarm the fish of your presence, or blind yourself for a couple of minutes.
For Christmas presents last year, I gave away a couple of the Rapala “Charge N Glows.” Bought one for myself too, you know, for “research purposes.” They are cases that charge your lures, and are about the shape of a case for sunglasses. Drop the lure inside, close the lid and push a button for a few seconds to get a solid charge all over. While standing in a dark, very cold lake, every 10 casts or so I would fire up the world’s smallest tanning bed. No bikini line. No farmer’s tan.
Fishing in the dark can be challenging enough, casting by ear, relieved to hear a splash. However, it can yield some outstanding results. Fishing pressure is less in the dark. And, during the winter, a significant portion of a bite is a “reaction” bite. A little eerie glow fluttering by is one good way get a reaction.
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Andy Whitcomb
Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.