Where are the fish going?

[MT_mulies]

 OK I am fishing in a lake that I have finished a lot. I go there right after work so about 430. I catch lots of fish and see them on my fishfinder till dark. The second it is dark I don't see any more fish. I have five poles set up from 10 feet from the bank all the way out to about 60 feet. The second it is dark all of the action stops. I have checked every hole and jigged every hole for about 20 minutes and there aren't any fish. Tonight I even tried to go deeper into the lake and can't seem to find where they go. Any thoughts?

[gil_lunkage]

Check the "sand bar"

[Agronomist_at_IA]

OK I am fishing in a lake that I have finished a lot. I go there right after work so about 430. I catch lots of fish and see them on my fishfinder till dark. The second it is dark I don't see any more fish. I have five poles set up from 10 feet from the bank all the way out to about 60 feet. The second it is dark all of the action stops. I have checked every hole and jigged every hole for about 20 minutes and there aren't any fish. Tonight I even tried to go deeper into the lake and can't seem to find where they go. Any thoughts?

what type of fish were u fishing?

[BoomerFTW]

Check the "sand bar"

XD Grooooan

[bullpine]

Fish like perch are cruising at the beginning and the end of each day as that is when prey like blood worms are active.  If the prey is harder to eat they don't go anywhere they just don't move around as they conserve energy for the next round when the prey is easiest to capture.  So they might be there just not biting.  Otherwise bring a underwater light if you want to get something going after dark.

[Jiggerdoodle]

There are some lakes that I fish that are in the same situation.  Bite right up to dark and than nothing.  It just maybe that you have one of those lakes that doesn't have a night bite.  Some people say that predators cause the night bite to cease.  It could be true.  One lake that I fish has a good population of walleyes and the bite will last until a half hour after sun set than nothing until daylight.  Another lake that has very few predators has a great night bite.

[MT_mulies]

I'm catching bass and rainbows. The lake also has blue gill and some perch. I am fishing a sandbar. I'm right fishing a sand bar. I'm right where the inlet comes into the lake. But I have tried to other areas that are deeper and they don't bite either. I don't even see them on my fish finder anywhere on the lake. I guess I will just fish till dark and then go home from now on haha.

[icefish2]

Our fish go from deep to shallow, as the light diminishes. They often end up in skinny water, as little as 5 feet. Try setting some tipups at various depths and see if a pattern develops.

[jerryfishing]

I have been told that perch do not see well at night and hold tight to the bottom and any weeds and submeged objects to avoid predation. I think bluegills do the same. Although bass and trout do feed at night, but like someone said....they go very shallow making it difficult for ice fisherman to access them because in shallow water they can also see and hear you especially if you are using some type of artificial light so you can see. Even light from fishfinder is enough to show your movements above the ice.

[missoulafish]

yup, perch are visual feeders. They need light. But you should get a decent evening bite. Bass do well under low light conditions. I do best in 8-12' of water for them but also up to 25' deep. I do notice that the darker it gets the more the bass start to suspend.

[fishermantim]

All fish are primarily sight hunters, but there are some that have eyesight adapted to lower light conditions.
You can gauge this by when they tend to be most active.
Pickerel, pike, muskies prefer brighter conditions, being more active during the day.
Sunfish, trout, perch and crappie prefer lower light conditions, and can be more active at first and last light.
Bass, cusk prefer even lower light conditions, and can be most at dusk and dawn and even at night. (I know some of the best bass fishing can be at night)

Carp don't care about sight hunting as they feed almost exclusively by feel and taste. That's why they have such big sensitive lips.

[Spider1]

there are some fish that like to hunt after dark and some that hunt mostly during the day. Pickerel, perch, bass and trout are primarily daytime feeders. crappie and walleye are night time feeders. If you're after crappie you can set lights out to attract baitfish which attracts the crappie. In my favorite lake to fish right at sundown there is a heavy gill bite. They will eat everything that moves and will fit in their mouths, this bite lasts about 15 min to half an hour. Done. Hang out for another half an hour or so and the calico will move through. Crappie will move through an area in a school jumping anything dumb enough to bolt but they are constanly moving. The trick is to know what direction they come from and go to and try and head them off.