Which lures work for seabass at night?

We started with the Rapala X-Rap 8 cm to find the fish, then switched to topwaters and shads for the school. When big fish started hunting on the surface, a walk the dog lure like the Rapala Precision Xtreme Pencil Saltwater made the difference.

Which lure colours work best in the dark?

In full darkness, highly visible colours tend to work best. The X-Rap in Silver Fluorescent Chartreuse UV caught well after dark, and the Hot Head with its orange head is one of our favourites.

How do you find the bigger seabass?

Young seabass often school up and bite almost anything. When every fish is between 20 and 35 cm, move on and look for bigger fish near structure such as rocks, and listen for fish hunting on the surface.

Night Seabass Fishing in the Netherlands: 100 Seabass in One Night

Q: When is the best time to fish for seabass at night?

In this session the fish were active on the rising tide into the evening. Once the tide turns, the current drops away and the fishing usually slows down. Tide, current, moon and baitfish all play a role, so plan your session around the rising tide.

The first seabass have been sighted and caught in the Netherlands. Time to give it a try and chase some silver!

It was around 20:00 when Silvian, the Captain and I left the harbour. We knew there had to be some fish out there. But we also know how whimsical seabass can be: it can be great one day and horrible the day after! It all comes down to the right tide, time, current, moon and the presence of baitfish. And when the seabass are there, it's all about the right lures and lines. Together, that decides whether you end up at a seabass party or looking for a needle in a haystack. That day the tide was rising until 1:00 AM, so we decided to fish until 1:00. Once the tide turns, the current drops away and the fishing usually slows down.

Around 21:00 we spotted fish on the surface in a small current along some rocks. We anchored about 30 metres from the school and started trying out several lures. The first lure I always cast is an 8 cm Rapala X-Rap. It always works and quickly tells me whether seabass are present. We started catching straight away and found out it was a school of seabass between 20 and 35 centimetres. These young seabass are really aggressive and will bite almost anything. So I switched to some topwaters and shads and kept on catching until dusk. I think the three of us caught around 100 seabass before we knew we had to move on and find some bigger fish.

Looking for the bigger seabass

The sun disappeared and the moon reflected its light on the surface of the flowing seawater, which was full of small baitfish. We anchored near a corner and had the feeling that some bigger seabass should be there, or would be arriving any moment. But somehow we didn't get a single bite on topwaters, shads or hardbaits. Just as we were wondering what the night might bring, we heard fish hunting close to the rocks. GAME ON!

As soon as my lure hit the water I got a big hit! After a good fight I managed to land the first proper seabass of the night in the boat.

Seabass caught at night on a Rapala X-Rap 8 cm in Hot Head

The Rapala X-Rap in Hot Head, with its orange head, is definitely one of my favourite colours!

After this fish we were back in business! We caught bigger fish than the school of seabass we had earlier. That was a sign that we were in the right place, at the right time, with the right setup.

Seabass hooked on a Rapala X-Rap 8 cm in Silver Fluorescent Chartreuse UV

Full darkness calls for highly visible lures! The X-Rap in Silver Fluorescent Chartreuse UV.

The photo above shows a very common way for a seabass to get hooked, as they try to stun the baitfish with their head. Earlier that evening a small seabass launched my topwater lure a metre into the air while trying to knock out its prey. We felt many, many taps on our rods from hunting seabass.

As the night went on we noticed some big fish hunting on the surface. Time to focus on catching a real big one! I gave the Rapala Precision Xtreme Pencil Saltwater a try. It's a walk the dog lure, great for moments like these.

Seabass of over 60 cm caught on the Rapala Precision Xtreme Pencil Saltwater

The Precision Xtreme Pencil is not a lure you cast all day. It's a lure you always bring with you and use when the time is right. Then it can be a real success, as it was for this seabass of over 60 cm!