Ice fishing at night?

[Corey Grant]

I never see people on the ice after the sun goes down. I have read that it is a great time to fish. Any thoughts?

[TommyBoy1971]

you would probably want a perm shanty , lots of heat, and some sort of toilet...might be a tad bit uncomfotable otherwise

[Spider1]

alot of guys hit the ice early in the morning, by the time evening rolls around it's kinda hard to stay much later. you don't need anything much extra to fish at night, depending on what you are after. On most of the lakes I fish there is usually a hot and fast evening gill bit, then a bit of a lul and then the crappies come out. You need some light for them, that's about all the extra you need. I have a thermal flip with an led set up. that's just about perfect for a night crappie trip.

[ugglystick101]

I never see people on the ice after the sun goes down. I have read that it is a great time to fish. Any thoughts?

you cant see them its dark out

[bcons]

Well lots don't fish after dark for several reasons.

1st  most species the bite turns off
2nd Snowmobiles ripping around with some of them 1/2 in the bag
3rd harder to see hazardous conditions like crossing cracks etc.
4th (as mentioned above) lots have been on for 10+hours already
5th (my favorite I've heard several times)  It's Dark & creepy out there all by yourself
6th most would rather get to bed so they can get up & be out before sunrise the next day

Myself I often fish for a few hours after work during the week, venturing out at sunset staying 3-4 hours.  However it does require extra caution, & if not used to being alone with the sounds of nature, animals etc, & noisy ice I guess I could see how some think it's creepy.  Make sure to have reflective strips in excellent condition on gear, know your surroundings & be familiar with the ice conditions.  Know what typical sled traffic in the area is like, avoid high traffic & pay attention to sled noise.  When you hear one be sure to look out the window at make sure it's not headed in your direction.  Have bright light to alert them if they are.  If you wait until they "sound" close that could be too late, as the throttle jockeys come out at night

[prefertrout]

used to get a few browns at the south end of canadaigua at nite, but it doesn't always freeze and it's slow goin.

[snelly]

we fish on GSL at night regularly nite bite is good for eye's. have stayed out on the ice for three days strait. perm shack and heat,lights and food help. also have a small bed for napping. reflective tape on tipups

[MattyP123]

Well lots don't fish after dark for several reasons.

1st  most species the bite turns off
2nd Snowmobiles ripping around with some of them 1/2 in the bag
3rd harder to see hazardous conditions like crossing cracks etc.
4th (as mentioned above) lots have been on for 10+hours already
5th (my favorite I've heard several times)  It's Dark & creepy out there all by yourself
6th most would rather get to bed so they can get up & be out before sunrise the next day

Myself I often fish for a few hours after work during the week, venturing out at sunset staying 3-4 hours.  However it does require extra caution, & if not used to being alone with the sounds of nature, animals etc, & noisy ice I guess I could see how some think it's creepy.  Make sure to have reflective strips in excellent condition on gear, know your surroundings & be familiar with the ice conditions.  Know what typical sled traffic in the area is like, avoid high traffic & pay attention to sled noise.  When you hear one be sure to look out the window at make sure it's not headed in your direction.  Have bright light to alert them if they are.  If you wait until they "sound" close that could be too late, as the throttle jockeys come out at night

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ EXACTLY. The dark can't hurt you, a hot rod on a sled on the other hand can. Once in awhile you can get lucky and have zero sleds out there, that plus a clear sky make for a BEAUTIFUL night on the ice fishing

[fish4fun8]

me and a couple buddies sleep out on the ice several times a yr and its a lot better than breaking the hut down at night and setting back up in morning and the fishing can be productive after dark or just before light well im there for both bites and also can have a couple extra pops at night cause you don't have to drive!!!just fish!!!

[JJ]

I like fishing at night, nice and quiet except for the occasional coyote howling. The only extras I need are a headlamp and tip-up lights.

[Greenhornet73]

I fish at night quite a bit.  My  shanty has reflective tape around it and lights up like a Christmas tree when any light hits it.  I like to set up an hour before dark and then sit still a couple hours past dark for walleyes and have done very well, sometimes better than in the mornings.   It gets really cold once the sun goes down though, especially while packing things up and putting away tip ups. Definitely walk with a flashlight because snowmobilers can come up on you very quickly without them even knowing it.

[TommyBoy1971]

Im still thinking your gonna need some type of porta- crapper so you can take a nice comfortable dump.  After that. I think ice fishing at night is very do-able...http://

[reelentless]

I never see people on the ice after the sun goes down. I have read that it is a great time to fish. Any thoughts?

waiting for a buddy to get out of work then we are going to head out to try the night bite for a few hours.  I've had some pretty productive nights during the spring and summer but this will be the first time i have been on the ice at night so we will see how it goes

[TeeBugg]

Really good crappie bite at night. I'll be out tomorow night chasing them!

[snelly]

Im still thinking your gonna need some type of porta- crapper so you can take a nice comfortable dump.  After that. I think ice fishing at night is very do-able...http://

my crapper is a five gallon bucket with a plastic bag for a liner do your business throw the bag outside freezes like a rock problem solved

[paperchhound]

Yepper

[big_guy_13021]

i have gotten some of my biggest gills at night

[ALLEGANYCOD]

Night is the time to miss the crowd, good fishing!!

[greensider]

i will be out sat night for crappie

[davyday1]

How deep do u fish

[matthewwood25]

Night fishing is good on the Sac had alot of luck catching eyes at night.

[davejohnson2]

we crushed crappie last night, they wouldnt bite til the sun went down

[inyahole215]

we sleep out for a few nights in a row on some of the walleye lakes we bring a cot fish till about two three in morn sleep perch fish nap till sun goes down then walleye again twenty poun tank I can get two and a half days good times bring beer

[merkleyb]

yes. bring beer.

[big_guy_13021]

How deep do u fish

usualy fish a few foot under the ice

[fishy1]

for eyes the best bite is at night through the ice and then in the spring browns and salmon at night . peacefull and the fish are less weary. also have had great luck with crappies at night all year. havent had many problems with snowmobilers where i fish but i light up my shelter so everyone can see it.

[ThisGuy]

Walleye fishing is fun at night but usually involves more than crappie fishing. When we're out for eyes, usually we aren't hard to find with all of our tip ups decked with reflective tape. But my favorite part about crappie fishing at night is that no one can see where we are catching them. Just jigging and stay low key.

[Hardwaternubie53]

I sleep out all of the time. Portable shanty, light weight portable toilet (a seat on a frame & a plastic bag), Mr. Heater Buddy (the big one) 20 - 40 lbs of propane, cot, sub zero sleeping bag, heat food up in a bracket I made to hang on the heater grate, a folding chair, a book for when it is quiet, head lamp, fishing gear, of course and I'm all set. Pulled out by an ATV with tracks. I'm good in all types of weather with this outfit. My fishing buddies call me "COB" crazy old bas....! 'Cause I sleep out in severe weather as well as good weather.

[ice man88]

If im goin for crappie i always stay well after dark and do very well,,a glow jig and head lamp does the trick