How to Catch Crappies at Night

[aquaticsanonymous]

Hey guys, looking for some how to advice when it comes to catching crappies at night. I have been catching a few during the day, but they shut off at night, and I don't catch a one after dark. I have heard that some catch crappies after dark. Any techniques/tactis/help would be appreciated.

[stickem]

i just use a minnow on a small treble with a small sinker..and a vex helps too...

[shadow]

lantern:cool:

[zx10r2004]

glow jig with a minnow or wax worm. a vex is a must.

[stickem]

yeah and maybe some heat:D

[wally-eye]

Fish "higher" in the water column after dark. A lot of time just below the ice a foot or two.....

[BassFisher91]

I agree with Wally-eye. They suspend in the water column. Bring a lantern along, set that on the ice, it supposedly attracts them. Minnows usually work the best for me. Vex's are a must.

[lookin for the gills]

Red glow jigs are a must for me.

[lookin for the gills]

Red glow jigs with a minnow of course

[MWTC]

Shouldn't you use a submersible light or is that only for smelt?

[MIfishinGuy]

i've been catching them after dark with minnows and a small split shot anywhere from 1-6 ft under the ice in about 10-15 ft of water. i don't have a vex but i find them during the day and fish the same area from day til pitch black. i find there is a window of about 30-45 minutes at twilight i cant get a minnow down fast enough, and once i catch a few and realize it's that time, it never fails a nice pike will come and break me off, and i'm trying to retie in almost dark missing out on fish :lol:.

[mkroulik]

i've been catching them after dark with minnows and a small split shot anywhere from 1-6 ft under the ice in about 10-15 ft of water. i don't have a vex but i find them during the day and fish the same area from day til pitch black. i find there is a window of about 30-45 minutes at twilight i cant get a minnow down fast enough, and once i catch a few and realize it's that time, it never fails a nice pike will come and break me off, and i'm trying to retie in almost dark missing out on fish :lol:.

Bring more than one pole pre-rigged. That way you don't have to waste time retying, especially in the dark and at prime time.

Mike

[MIfishinGuy]

why didn't i think of that? :bonk: i usually have one rod set up with a aberdeen and a split shot, and the other with a teardrop and waxie, but once it gets closer to that time now i'll switch both over to the hook and split shot. thanks for the simple solution. :)

[walleyechaser]

Hey guys, looking for some how to advice when it comes to catching crappies at night. I have been catching a few during the day, but they shut off at night, and I don't catch a one after dark. I have heard that some catch crappies after dark. Any techniques/tactis/help would be appreciated.

Shut off at night----they turn on. Rarely will you find a good lake where the daytime crappie bite is what I'd call great although I'm sure we all know of a couple where this doesn't hold true. Evening into night fishing is the most consistent as far as crappies go.

If you're catching some in the daytime you may already have a good starting location and just need to adjust your technique.
For years now a growing number of us use a small slip bobber with a split shot and tiny treble hook tipped with a dorsal hooked minnow.Although glow tear drops and jigs produce this setup has proven to be the most consistent for us.Minnow size preference can vary as well,even within an hours time so again,if not getting bit,change it up.
A lantern and flasher is a must since crappies suspend.
Depending on the lake we fish 2 rods with one set about 2 feet off bottom and the other about 4 feet off bottom. If the crappies a running higher the flasher will show them.
Many times as it gets later they will rise in the water column. On some very deep lakes they will suspend about half way down but this varies from lake to lake.On some nights they will move up right under the ice but again watch your flasher and experiment.
Towards ice out its not uncommon for crappies to cruise a couple of feet below the ice on cloudy, foggy or drizzly days throughout the day and when you run into this condition you'll have a ball!;)

[mokwa]

Yes you can use a sub. light. We often fish for them with all the same stuff we use for smelt. Usually a Hali jig on the bottom tipped with wax worm, spike or very small minnow, and then a small treb. about 16-18 inches above it tipped with whatever they seem to want the most. They will suspend at night. Often 1-2 feet under the ice. I also live near G.R., so if you want to come along sometime, P.M. me.

[sigman]

You dont need to spend a bunch of money on a vexlar. See Crappie Depots post on what we use. Works wonderfully. He spent $69 on the Eagle graph and $20 on the battery. Mounted the transducer on an old broom handle that mounts to the battery box. Since you are not moving the fish show up as a line on the graph. Not a fish symbol. You can watch them move up and down in depth and we can see both of our baits at the same time. The baits show up just as the fish do. A well defined dark line on the graph I have seen both and like this better than the vexlar. But we have both fished our best spring time crappie lake and for some reason the shut down there at night also. Luckly we have several good lakes to pick from and the one we fished last weekend picked up right at dark. We will be back this Saturday:D Hopefully Crappie Depot can spend more time as we still had fish on the graph when we had to go:sad:

[jdawg240]

Is it possible a lake could have a better day time bite versus a night time bite? We have tryed countless times to catch the buggers in the dark. Green lights, white lights, minnows, we all have vexliars. We never have done worth a darn in the dark. Our prime crappy time seems to be from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. with minnows on a slip bobber rig. Varuios jigs and hooks work. We do well during those hours but never at night????

[Garret]

Caught a few last week on a lake in the Lapeer area. I fished from 10pm till 1am with most fish coming between 11pm and 12:30am. Not huge numbers but it was sure fun to get out for the first time this season and get into some fish.

Glow jigs tipped with minnows 1-5 feet down in 15 feet of water. Also used small tri-hooks tipped with minnows but the glow jig outfished the tri-hooks 4-1.

[dobes]

I would stay high in the water column . Ive pulled craps out at night just inches under the ice . Glow jig and minnow will bring them in . Ive never used a vex at night . It just seems to me that when you put your bait down and jig hard , they will find it . Ive always caught them after dark this way . It does seem they turn off instantly an hour or so after dark though . Good luck and happy fishin.