Top-Rated Night Fishing in Maine | Reel Nice Surprise

Extended Half Day Night Striped Bass Trip

Picture this: the sun's setting over Maine's coast, most folks are heading home for dinner, but you're just getting started. Our 6-hour night fishing adventure kicks off at 6:30 PM and runs until the early hours, giving you prime time access to some of the best striper action you'll find anywhere along the Maine coast. This isn't your typical day trip – we're talking about a completely different world out there after dark. The water settles down, the pressure drops, and those big bass start moving into the shallows to feed. For $1,100, you and up to two buddies get the boat to yourselves, which means no crowded rails, no rushed fishing, and no compromising on where we set up. I've been running these night charters for years, and I can tell you straight up – this is when the magic happens.

What to Expect on the Water

We'll meet at the dock just as the evening bite starts to pick up. The first hour is all about positioning – I know these waters like the back of my hand, and there are specific spots where the stripers move in as the light fades. You'll notice how different everything feels compared to a day trip. The water's calmer, the boat traffic dies down to nothing, and suddenly you can hear every splash and every line cutting through the water. We'll start in the deeper channels where the bait schools up, then work our way into the shallows as the night progresses. The cool thing about this trip is how personal it gets – with just three anglers max, I can spend real time with each of you, adjusting techniques and finding what's working best. Bring layers because it does cool down out there, but trust me, once you feel that first striper hit in the dark, you'll forget all about the temperature. The stars come out, the water turns black, and those fish turn aggressive – it's a completely different game than what most people experience during regular fishing hours.

Techniques and Gear Setup

Night fishing for stripers requires a totally different approach than what works during the day. We'll be using heavier tackle – think 20 to 30-pound test – because these fish hit hard in the dark and you need the backbone to turn them away from structure. Live bait is king after sunset, so we'll have fresh mackerel, herring, and eels ready to go. The eels are absolute dynamite for big bass – there's something about the way they move in the water column that drives stripers crazy. We'll also run some artificials, especially topwater plugs that create a good commotion on the surface. When you hear that explosion in the dark and feel your rod double over, that's what keeps guys coming back year after year. I provide all the rods, reels, and terminal tackle, but if you've got a favorite setup, feel free to bring it along. We'll be fishing both from anchor in prime feeding areas and doing some controlled drifts over structure. The key is staying quiet – sound travels differently at night, and these fish are using their lateral line more than their eyes to hunt. I'll walk you through reading your rod tip in low light and feeling for those subtle pickups that happen when a bass mouths your bait. We've got quality electronics on board, including fish finders and GPS, so we can stay on the productive water even when visibility drops.

Top Catches This Season

The night bite has been absolutely phenomenal this season. We're seeing fish in the 28 to 35-inch range consistently, with several trophy bass over 40 inches coming to the boat after dark. Just last week, we had a group land six keeper stripers in the first two hours, including a gorgeous 42-incher that hit a live eel right at the boat. The beauty of night fishing is you're targeting fish that have been pressured all day by other boats – they're hungry, aggressive, and ready to feed. We've been finding the best action between 8 PM and midnight, especially on the incoming tide when bait gets pushed up against the structure. The full moon periods have been producing some epic topwater action, while the new moon phases seem better for live bait fishing. What's really exciting is the variety – along with the stripers, we're picking up some nice bluefish, and occasionally we'll hook into a keeper fluke that's feeding after dark. These Maine waters hold some serious fish, and the night hours give you access to bass that rarely see a hook during prime time. The average fish we're seeing runs about 30 inches, but it's those bigger girls – the ones in the 15 to 20-pound class – that make these trips special.

Species You'll Want to Hook

Striped bass are the main event here, and for good reason. These fish are absolute legends in New England waters, and Maine's population is healthy and growing. During night hours, stripers move shallow to feed on baitfish, crabs, and worms along rocky shorelines and over sandy flats. They're incredibly smart fish – they've learned to avoid the daytime pressure by shifting their feeding patterns to low-light conditions. A good Maine striper will run anywhere from 28 to 45 inches, with fish over 35 inches being true trophies that'll give you a fight you won't forget. What makes them so exciting to target is their unpredictability – one minute they're sipping bait off the bottom, the next they're crashing topwater plugs with enough force to rip the rod out of your hands. The best time to target them is from late May through October, but those September and October night trips are pure gold. The water's still warm, the bait is thick, and the bass are feeding heavily before winter. These fish are built for power – broad shoulders, deep bodies, and enough strength to strip drag and test your knots. When you hook a good one in the dark, everything changes. Your other senses take over, and you're fighting purely by feel. That's what keeps anglers coming back to Maine waters year after year.

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