Me and a buddy of mine are catching a few good ones on Smith Lake at night - just looking for a few new lure ideas. We've been using a night time spinnerbait, jigs, and a few plastics. Anyone have any better things/colors to try?

Big topwater bait. Dark color.

Such as?

X2! Lol

Whooper Plooper

Black Zara Spook or 130 Plopper. Hang on. Don't hook yourself, either.

Buzzbait, fished either very slow or fast depending on what the want. I don't like treble hooks in the air coming towards be when you miss or a fish slings a bait. I used to use a black jitterbug.
Sometimes a musky jitterbug if you are on a big bass lake. I always had great luck fishing a blue worm with a firetail around lighted boat docks. I love night fishing. If you have lights on the water a white shallow diving crankbait can work wonders. I fished big jigs and trailers around rip rap. Mostly blk/blk.

the only time I've been night fishing, I fished a buzz bait super slow and caught some pretty nice fish.

All good suggestions. Super spook in black worked slow and steady with a pause about every 10 ft or when you walk it up to cover. Big bladed buzz bait. Jitterbug, devils horse and the largest sized one spinner (tail only) Bang-o-lure in black with the pinkish orange belly. I've never thrown the whopper plopper but after pm'ing with Clem I'm about to give it a try.

For years the best truly big fish nighttime bait down here was a musky sized jitterbug in all black. Throw it and just reel it straight back slow and steady. Plop, plop, plop,plop. You might go all night without a bite but when you do get one it will be something you remember.

I have, and have caught many on a black musky sized Jittebug. Has a front lip like the a tin can top and three massive treble hooks. Get over a grass bed (if there is one), sling it a country mile, sip on a beverage and reel it slow. Almost sounds like slaping the surface with a cookie sheet. Keep the lights off and wait for an explosion.

Shakey head. If I was dead set on throwing topwater on Smith it would be a Lucky Craft Gunfish 115. Day in day out the gunfish seems to be the best topwater bait on Smith

Jitterbug = the Original Whopper Plopper

We had three go for 9.5lb last night at smith all on spinners

If you need any help locating them and figuring out what to throw gimme a holler. We usually hit night tourneys on smith from now till sept and usually get on em good

Top 3. If I only had 3 rods, I would fish these 3 baits:

1)Zoom magnum U-Vibe (or sometimes regular size) in junebug, black, black/red flake (dark colors)
2) Black Chatterbait with fairly slow and steady retrieve
3) Black buzzbait fished slow and steady

I've also had luck on:
4) Black buzzfrog fished as slowly and steady where it just stays on top (I fish around a lot of grass)
5) Black or dark red spinnerbait with black blades.

Thanks for the info yall!!! I'm gonna have a few more things to try on my next trip out- I bought me a jitterbug a couple of weeks ago and hadn't had any luck with that- a little luck on a darker jig and a little more with a worm.

Dont overwork that Jitterbug. Dont pop it or do anything other than reel it back straight as slow as possible letting it just waddle back slowly going plop plop plop. Most people try to work a jitterbug which is a mistake IMO. Just reel it slow and let it work itself. Ask top cat and some of these older guys that have fished them. It's a slow bait to fish and boring as heck but it will call up the big ones.

abolt300 is right about the J'bug. Don't reel too fast or add any other action.

At first you'll want to chew tinfoil but eventually you'll get into a good rhythm with it. Should be able to hear the plopplopplop and probably feel the rodtip twitch. They're fun to fish with.

Sounds like I'm gonna give it another try - I wasn't working it really but it sounds like I may have been reeling in too fast really

black jitterbug everydamnnight

I've never been fishing at night, and I'm early to bed kind of guy, but could adjust schedule if they're biting right

That's over 9lbs in only three of our fish. Don't discredit the blade. This was a 7pm-7am tourney

That's some nice fish buddy

There are 10,000 ways you can catch em at night, but you're already doing the best things. Big ol' Datsun hubcap spinnerbait, chatterbait, and in recent years I've grown VERY fond of a Texas rigged 8" Zoom Ultra-vibe Speed Worm (8"). But 90/100 casts will be with that black/blue chatterbait slow-rolled bumping the bottom.

I know some folks make a big deal out of topwater at night, but it's not that good to me. When it's on, it's out of this world fun, but it's not as consistent as the spinner/chatterbaits.

Well I think most people's idea of topwater fun is occurring on large mouth lakes. Spots will KILL a spook in the twilight dusk and dawn hours but when that sun goes down, they rely more on their lateral lines and scent. That's why the big thumper type bladed baits work so well. That being said, I've caught spots on top at night but it was when we had pulled a school of them up. They were following our baits to the surface along with the ones that were hooked and we were able to grab a few bonus fish before they dropped back down.

we used to catch huge spots below Logan Martin dam, fishing well below the rocks in the shallows on NO turbines. Very slow reeling a 5" Redfin, just making a wake. Killer on stripe and BIG spots. Scare the hell out of you when they hit at the rod tip just as you decide to lift up.

I did get a redfin in the head at the hairline one night on a hit.

Anybody have much luck flippin' at night?

I've had very little luck with it myself - I think the last several times I've gone maybe one fish has came from flipping? But Ive got very little experience flipping in general.

I cast it more than I flip, but yeah I'm never without a jig tied on. I mostly alternate between jig, large worm, thumping spinnerbait, or topwater. Mostly in that order of preference.

jewel spinnerbait

A few weekends ago, all they would eat for me was a 3/8oz black jig with a blue rage craw up shallow. But I had to add a rattle and a generous spray of garlic scent. Just keep in mind that it's gotta stink, vibrate, or rattle unless you hit them in the head with it. All spots. No real size. I don't like to fish shallow for spots at night but it's the only bite we could get.

Find some green lights and throw a dark colored- medium diving jerkbait. Usually thats my go to at night. If theres a bunch of hybrids or crappie on it ill whip out the spinning rod and rooster tails.

daddy hit me in tha side of tha head with a spook fishin at night one time..didnt hook me but i thought i was ded..bout fell out tha boat.

It's been years since I bass fished at night but we used to do it a lot on golf courses. We used a Strike King Pork O and the helicopter lure. Chartruse was the top producing color for us. You can pull the helicopter lure slower than a buzz bait and it has more of a gurgling,paddling sound rather that the chopping sound of a buzzbait. I don't know if either lures are still in production but I found a a few on ebay. Good luck.

Ebay

Those helicopter lures look neat - I bet you've have to have a swivel on before throwing it though?

Do they still make Redfins? I haven't seen any Cordell lures in a
long time. They invented the hot spot, and many other lures, Had the first plastic BIG O's. My favorite will always be the Crazy shad. I caught tons of fish on those. I still have several.

What's the BIG O's look like Perch?

Big ol' fat belly crankbait. Bass hate'm and will try to kill one if it comes by them.