Late Night with old marble eyes

[Ausable Junkie]

Most of the time, when I fish for walleye, I pull up within an hour after dark. I have fished several times past 10 pm, but never really much later than that. Some reading i've done talks about how the big females tend to forage for food in the middle of the night. Now that i'm working 2nd shift (out at 11:30 p.m.), I plan on getting out after work to see what the late night bite is all about.

Is it better than the golden hour before it gets dark, or the hour after first light?? In my younger days, I admit to leaving a tip up in the shanty overnight to pick up more fish. Seemed like the bigger ones were biting at night. I couldn't really tell when, I just knew they bit between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. Anyone regularly target eyes say between midnight and 5 a.m.??

[wally-eye]

:evilsmile YES. One lake I go to you catch them in 14 to 18fow till about an hour after dark then we move to shallow water and catch them all night. I'm talking 3 to 6 fow..........the trick is to have your shallow water holes drilled before dark and then an hour or so after dark we move to the shallow holes.

The trick is stealth........that shallow of water they are really spooky and won't tolerate a lot of noise which is why we have all holes pre-drilled. Even walking on the ice over that shallow water if there isn't a lot of snow will scare them......nothing like catching a 5lb eye in 3 fow, they think their a steelhead and a little finesse is needed to land them..

[chuckwagon157]

Now, I have never really done much walleye fishing, but last year I waas told the same thing, that late night/early morn was a good time for hogs. I didn't have any walleye luck, but I did manage to bring in the pike you see in my avitar at around midnight while jigging. Either ways, it's better than work.....or sleeping for that matter.

[jerryk]

:evilsmile YES. One lake I go to you catch them in 14 to 18fow till about an hour after dark then we move to shallow water and catch them all night. I'm talking 3 to 6 fow..........the trick is to have your shallow water holes drilled before dark and then an hour or so after dark we move to the shallow holes.

The trick is stealth........that shallow of water they are really spooky and won't tolerate a lot of noise which is why we have all holes pre-drilled. Even walking on the ice over that shallow water if there isn't a lot of snow will scare them......nothing like catching a 5lb eye in 3 fow, they think their a steelhead and a little finesse is needed to land them..
Sounds like fun....the light over your hole (or in your shack) doesn't spook them?

[wally-eye]

Sounds like fun....the light over your hole (or in your shack) doesn't spook them?


Doesn't seem too although I have been using a Shappell DX3000 for the past three years. I believe that the light into the hole is marginal........but I always see guys sitting right on the bare ice with their lanterns glowing and they usually catch just as many..........I think a lot depends on the amount of snow on the ice and the color of the ice itself.....

I bought a new flip over this winter and haven't had it out yet, going to be interesting to see if there is a difference in the catch rate between the shappell with the floor and the flip over with no floor in the shallow water..............My feelings is that a "little defused light" is a good thing and just a little on the jigging spoon helps...............we will see.....

The eyes seem to be bothered more by noise than light..........and it is obvious when some yahooo comes out in 4 fow at 1AM and then drills a hole with a power auger 50 ft. from you...........:rant::rant::rant: there goes a good hour before the fish come back....

[N M Mechanical]

Doesn't seem too although I have been using a Shappell DX3000 for the past three years. I believe that the light into the hole is marginal........but I always see guys sitting right on the bare ice with their lanterns glowing and they usually catch just as many..........I think a lot depends on the amount of snow on the ice and the color of the ice itself.....

I bought a new flip over this winter and haven't had it out yet, going to be interesting to see if there is a difference in the catch rate between the shappell with the floor and the flip over with no floor in the shallow water..............My feelings is that a "little defused light" is a good thing and just a little on the jigging spoon helps...............we will see.....

The eyes seem to be bothered more by noise than light..........and it is obvious when some yahooo comes out in 4 fow at 1AM and then drills a hole with a power auger 50 ft. from you...........:rant::rant::rant: there goes a good hour before the fish come back....

Is the shanty still set up in your living room:lol::lol:

[wally-eye]

Is the shanty still set up in your living room:lol::lol:




NO its in the dining room..:lol:......Robert (SFW1960) was over Saturday and we fished out of it in the dining room a while but never caught a thing.......:dizzy::lol:

I do have my DX3000 Shappell (for sale) set up in the workshop in my garage but that cement floor is tough on auger blades. 4 days and 6 sets of blades and I still ain't got thru yet.......:lol: my luck it'll probably be "another" dry hole.....:lol:

[N M Mechanical]

I have a crew working in fremont if you need help breaking through... They have a Hilti on the truck:p