Like any other type of fishing, night fishing isn't a guaranteed catch. The angler can strike out at night as well as during the day, but I've experienced fewer shutouts fishing at night than I have during the day even when fishing the same area of the bay. I like fishing at night from a pier, especially one that is large enough to accommodate an easy chair or bedroll, because neither the shrimp nor trout always show up just at dark. The angler will usually have to lose some sleep when fishing at night, but if there are two or more in the group one can take turns watching for the arrival of the fish, while the others catch a few winks.

Once the action starts, it doesn't take long to reach your limit, and in some cases that might be more trout than you want to clean. The size and bag limit on specks taken from coastal waters in Texas is 10 trout per angler, per day. Each trout must be 15 inches long or longer. Occasionally you'll find that a big redfish will lumber along to take your offering. You are allowed only three red drum per day that measure between 20 and 28 inches long. All reds up to 20 inches, and all those caught over 28 inches long must be released immediately. Then occasionally you might bump into a flounder. The catch and size limit on flounder is 10 per day, per angler, and each flatfish must be 10 inches long or longer.

Please remember, speckled trout are not hardy fish. They die easily when handled roughly, and the hotter the weather, the quicker they will die. When you have caught your limit of legal-sized fish, please quit fishing. Handle all undersized fish with care when they are removed from the hook for release. Don't grab the fish by the body if at all possible. Use long-nosed pliers or a handy gadget called a Hook-Out to grasp the hook, then gently shake the fish loose.

When planning a night fishing trip during the late fall, winter or early spring, try to be on the water during the lull that generally occurs after the passage of a front. Night fishing can be speck-tacular during that quiet period between a north and prevailing wind. It isn't difficult to determine when there are enough trout under the lights to make angling for them worthwhile. Shrimp jumping from the water are positive signs that "something" is down there for a meal. If that something is a trout, you'll hear the distinctive slurping sounds of the fish as they attempt to take shrimp at the surface.

If the water is clear you'll be able to see the fish chase the red-ball-express crustaceans as they flee for their lives. There will be times - and these are the times you'll long remember - when you'll see the trout stacked like cordwood along the edges of the light. They will lie in the half shadows of the outer edges, then dart forward to grab shrimp that flip through the full circle of light. Needless to say, a live shrimp usually is an excellent bait for a speck under these conditions. But don't be surprised if they prefer a lure.

There are many artificial baits that will take trout under lights. Everything from spoons to swimming lures to gobs of plastic molded to resemble a shrimp will entice strikes from the fish. Then there are also times when a topwater lure will pay off. One of my favorite lures, however, is a small yellow or white lead-head jig with a hair skirt and a small grub worm on the hook. Vary your retrieve from fast to slow to straight to hopping until you learn how the fish want it. The jig is especially good on a double-header rig equipped with a wire spreader. The spreader, which has one leader about half as long as the other, permits the angler to fish one lure almost on the bottom and the other a few inches above it. When the trout hits one of the lures, keep a taut line, letting the action of the hooked fish work the second lure. The thrashing of the hooked fish usually attracts the attention of other fish in the school. It's not uncommon for another speckled trout to grab the free lure and provide you with a double.

The double-leader rig can also be used to determine which color the trout prefer at the moment and whether they want a lure or a live shrimp. To determine color, just use two lures of different colors. To determine whether the fish want a lure or a shrimp, exchange the top lure for a bare hook and bait it with a live shrimp. Leaving the jig on the longer leader acts as a weight and permits the live shrimp to ride above the bottom.

While a lot of saltwater shrimp users prefer a small treble hook, I prefer a wide-gapped single. For one thing, it's easier to remove a fish from a single hook. A lightweight wire crappie hook usually is adequate for school trout. If you are going to free-shrimp (that's fishing a live shrimp with no popping cork or weight) the light hook gives the bait a great deal of freedom and will not drag the shrimp straight to the bottom.

If the fish are reluctant to take your offering, either an artificial or live bait, try using a popping cork. Get the kind with a slit to the side so that it can be slipped on or off the line without having to replace the hook. The popping cork with the weight embedded in the bottom is preferable because it serves double duty as a float and a sinker. The popping cork is made with a conclave head which, when chugged across the surface of the water, creates a noise that sounds similar to the slurp of a feeding trout. The cork, just like the lights under which you are fishing, becomes an attractor of trout which will help you supply dinner for the family.