The more a spot is fished at night, the more conditioned the fish become to finding food at that location. They will be more naturally attracted to the light. We nailed a cross arm to the tree and hung the lantern. We figured that all the bugs gathering at the light — and they were considerable — were attracting the fish. I still like to use a jig tipped with a minnow, but now I clip the tail fan off and remove a few of the scales on one side.
This makes the minnow have a more injured appearance that crappie cannot resist. Derek Mollie, with Underwater Fish Light company in Florida, has found a niche market in night fishing lights. His company has placed many dock lights in Mississippi where anglers have reported the best fishing of the summer is off their own docks.
It is a popular fishing method for crappie and striped bass at Eagle Lake near Vicksburg, and speckled trout on piers on coastal rivers and bays. It has become a steady market among both saltwater and freshwater anglers. These green led lights are available for several over the counter sources. Visit underwater www. The angler series is a serious led light that carries a 3-year warranty. Some nights, just like some days, the fish prefer a different color. Some night we have to switch to artificial baits completely to thwart the catfish bite.
For fishing points and cuts, Golden uses a Blakemore Road Runner with a light spinning rig. Both baits are a shad pattern that crappie will bite. He claims it is good for locating structure and seeing fish, but also has an incorporated GPS that allows him to better follow the channel when on waters where hazards abound.
Having an accurate depth allows us to get on the fish without too many hang-ups. Everybody has a different method, but we have found starting shallow and working deeper is key to catching fish. If a log is at an angle, try to work that log from the shallowest to the deepest end. Many state lakes have fishing piers constructed with fish attractors placed nearby, and these piers are good locations to try for crappie. If green, most hardwood tops will sink on their own; however Christmas trees and cedars need to be weighted down.
If you use a fishing light, you will likely catch a ton of crappie if you pick the right location and are patient. Crappie will favor the warmest conditions and the warmest water they can find. When the water is at its coldest, crappie will be docile and not really in a feeding mood.
During the winter, the coldest time of the day is at night. Instead of fishing at night in winter, I recommend fishing mid-to-late afternoon when the sun is out and has had time to really warm up the water.
This is when crappie will be a lot more active and feeding more aggressively. Summer time is the best season for catching crappie at night. You catch big crappie consistently at night with the right approach. Fish in the upper 2 or 3 feet of water on full moon nights with moving baits. This is because moonlight is so much less strong than sunlight and can only penetrate the upper reaches of the water column with moonlight.
Crappie will be fixating on baitfish swimming near the surface so that is where you will want to present your lures. Now if you are using live bait, you can fish at any level of the water column holding crappie.
I would recommend using electronic fish finders to determine where in the water crappie are holding. But the beauty of live bait is this type of bait gives off great scent and also the struggling of a hooked baitfish is irresistible to crappie, even in the dark.
You can fish right down near the bottom with a hooked minnow or shiner and crappie nearby will find your bait. Summer is definitely the best season for night fishing. At least not easily. But you can place one or more artificial lights in the water that can change the whole situation for you. The way it works is the light will draw in plankton and zooplankton which shiners and shad feed on.
The baitfish will arrive and if you wait long enough, bigger fish will come in drawn by both the novelty of the light and the presence of schooling baitfish. The key is setting up over a good location that attracts crappie and being patient for fish to arrive. Fishing lights can turn an ok night of fishing into one to remember. Fishing lights come in green, blue, and white lights.
For most fishing situations, I recommend going with green as it seems to perform the best. For a very useful guide to catching crappie at night using underwater fishing lights , I strongly recommend you read this great article I wrote.
The best baits for night crappie fishing will be live bait. That is hands down the best recommendation I can make for you. Shad if you can keep them alive after capture , shiners, small perch or bluegill, and fathead minnows are your best option. Worms and leeches can be really good too. Live bait outperforms lures at night because crappie are attracted to the scent and muscle pulsations of a struggling prey item.
If you are not legally able to fish with live bait, Gulp! Minnows are very realistic, smell natural, and do catch crappie when jigged slowly. You can also try out marabou jigs, spinners, and tube jigs as well. These are ideal crappie baits for daytime fishing but you can have success at night by fishing them a lot slower.
Blacks and blues tend to be great nighttime colors for crappie. One tip I can give you if you choose to go the lure route is add some scent to the baits. That way, the fish feels no pressure from the line and is not as likely to spit out the minnow before you set the hook. Lear how to set up a slip bobber rig. This is a Florida Game Warden measuring two crappie a friend of mine kept on a night fishing expedition! He had 29 legal crappie, so there was no reason to keep even a questionable fish.
If your fishing lights are so bright as to obscure your red and green running lights, you are in violation of the regulations. Finally, some states dictate how many poles you can use at one time, so check your local regulations before hitting the water. Currently set to Index.
Currently set to Follow. Last Updated: October 10th, Night fishing is one the most productive methods for filling a livewell with crappie. But there are several things to understand to maximize your success.
Never go home with an empty ice chest again… How to choose the right technique and lure for every situation. Secrets from crappie legends that will change the way you fish for slabs. How to make the most of live bait, rig it like a tournament champion , and turn the odds in your favor. How to improve your spider rigging set-up. Tips to master night fishing when the heat is really on.
Techniques and tips that work all the time, every time.
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