Any night Crappie fishing tips??

[TrepMan]

OK got the floating light Musky Man suggested, just gotta go to Radio Shack tomorrow at lunch and get a cigarette lighter plug so I can plug it in at the console or bow plugs. Gonna go out one night this week for an hour or so after dark to see how it works (got an extra Anchor so I can double anchor under the bridge safely), and then Sat night with a buddy who's not fished in decades till late.



My plan is a LOT of crappie minnows in both baitwells, medium-light spinning tackle, crappie hooks with a little split shot above and some with crappie jigs tipped with minnows.



Any other suggestions or things to think about or do?? Gonna bring some soda/water and snack and shoot the BS while we wait for bites.



Trep

 

[Steve Rizza]

BUGSPRAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TrepMan]

Steve - Can you say 100% DEET!!!!

 

[Greg Meyer]

Trep...



Slip bobbers... Try to get the removable kind on at least one rod or rig a rod without a bobber just the stop knot... I have outfished my son several times using only to stop knot and a split shot and minnow at the same depth as he fished with a slip bobber... light bites.



Also, this last week in Haywrd WI I had better luck on bigger crappie fishing a small red/white tube/squid on a 1/16th oz red jig head on a tight line slow jigged... It would outfish minnows for bigger crappie when they were biting and when they were slow... But, you may find a different color does better... we were fishing clear but stained water.

 

[David Heine]

I usually buy the whole pre-cooked chickens and we mow them down while waiting for the baitfish to get going undeaneath the crappie light. We chuck over-board the leftovers and that usually gets the cats / baitfish going pretty good. Jigging for crappie under the lights is the one time I use that lever on your spinning reel that allows you to put the reel in back-reel while still allowing it to be in gear. This allows you to fish on the fall with a tight controlled line. Works wonders sometimes. Just watch your line so as to not tangle it all up. I also wear the nice headlights - you know, the L.E.D. ones you get at REI. They are alot lighter and last forever on a set of batteries. Wearing a light headlight gives you alot less headaches than those heavier ones.

 

[Bruce Freeman]

In Fla they light there boats up like Vegas, neon everywhere. Been a long time since I fished for crappie with a cane pole but don't they still like crickets? Like I said it's been a long time. Like 30 years or more..

BF

 

[TrepMan]

Greg - With the slip bobbers (I have a few I use in Canada to keep my bait just off the bottom) since the light will be next to the boat, I was thinking I should have my bait/rods just vertical jigging/floating? Is it good also to let a rod with a slip bobber float out a bit too?



Thanks for more tips MuskyMan. I do have the LED Headlamp, my kids got one for me last year, I mentioned I needed on for Canada this year!



I think i'll head out tonite after the kids go to bed for a few short hours at dusk and just after dark. Just to make sure everything works and my anchoring idea works too. I'm planning on anchoring near a bridge piling, and to do it with 2 anchors (never done this before). I'm thinking I pull forward a good 30feet (the water is about 20 feet at the bridge) and drop the front anchor and then back up till I get to the spot I want, then drop the rear anchor overboard. Figure that might hold.



Trep

 

[Greg Meyer]

If you have any current or wave action you will need some slack in your anchor line... Sort of set up a trapezoid with the boat as the small/short parallel side of the trapezoid.



Slip bobbers work well because they are precise and also because you can get them out away from the boat... So, yes that is something you can try...