By: Layne Kafsky
Aarington Brown, an aspiring fisher, sets out to prepare for a session of night fishing at Lake Burton. "I have always loved marine life. I graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in marine biology with a focus on chemical ecology," Brown said.
Aarington Brown is looking for fish at his fishing spot in preparation to start fishing. Night fishing is a sport in which you fish for freshwater or saltwater fish at nighttime in order to raise your chances of catching more predatory fish because this is when they are most active.
Aarington Brown is picking out a rod for his nigh fishing session. Different types of fishing require different rods including rods for fly fishing, deep sea fishing and freshwater fishing, which Brown practices the most.
Aarington Brown selects his fishing rod and prepares them for a night of fishing. "I've always loved to go fishing, I have deep sea fished many times and I fish in local lakes offten. Some of my friends in the fishing community on Lake Burton told me about night fishing and it's been something I've enjoyed getting into," Brown said.
Aarington Brown inspects his fishing rod to make sure there are no issues before casting. "Some of the largest bass I have ever seen caught have been from people night fishing. I haven't been super successful at it but I am still fairly new to the sport," Brown said.
Aarington Brown goes through his tackle box to pick a lure for his fishing rod. A tackle box holds bait, different lures, fishing line, and other tools used in the sport of fishing.
Aarington Brown cuts his fishing line to the appropriate length for freshwater fishing. "You always want to adjust your line depending on where you're fishing because having too much causes it to get tangled in trees or things on shore and can ruin a night of fishing..it's happened to me many times," Brown said.
After finding the right lure for his rod Aarington Brown attaches it to his fishing line. "It is very important what kind of lure you're using when you fish. When I am night fishing at Lake Burton I am usually looking for bass and they are mostly attracted to green colors so that's what I'm using here," Brown said.
Aarington Brown searches for live bait to use while fishing. "I typically like to use live bait when night fishing because since the fish can't see as well they rely heavily on underwater movement to pinpoint their prey," Brown said.
Aarington Brown looks for the best spot to cast his first line. "When night fishing, you want to fish in places that are shallow. Fortunately for me, the fishing community on Lake Burton is very generous and many people open their docks for others to night fish on because they are all typically near shallow water," Brown said.
Aarington Brown casts his fishing line into the lake. "I don't like to throw my line too far away when night fishing because I like to keep my eyes on my lure and see what's around it," Brown said.
Aarington Brown monitors his fishing line for any movement in the water. Even the smallest tug on a fishing line can indicate a fish has taken the lure.
A large bass swims near Aarington Brown's fishing lure and line. "I catch the most bass when I am night fishing. They are always the most active at night and its fun to see the bigger fish you typically wouldn't see during the day," Brown said. 
After getting no tugs from any fish Aarington Brown removes his line from the lake and switches methods. "It really depends on the night, some nights the fish will be biting like crazy and others there won't be many out," Brown said.
Aarington Brown throws bait into the lake in hopes of catching smaller fish with a net to use as live bait. "I have noticed that sometimes, when fishing for bass specifically, using minnows as bait works best," Brown said.
To get a better look at where the smaller fish are gathering Aarington Brown uses a high beam LED light to spot and attract the fish. " In most cases the small fish all swim together so it is easy for me to spot them especially under a bright light, this always helps me figure out where I need to be casting my line," Brown said.
After spotting a group of minnows near a floating boat Aarington Brown reaches into the water with a net in hopes of catching some. "Smaller fish are probably the hardest thing to catch because they move at such high speeds and it's easy to lose them in the dark water," Brown said.
After striking out on catching live bait, Aarington Brown once again tries to catch a bass using his rod. "Some nights I will catch multiple fish, and others like tonight, I won't catch or see many. You never really know where the fish are going to be," Brown said.
