Sight Fishing

[A- bomb]

Just wondering if there are any other sight fishers out there. I have found this to be addictive as all get out!!  Most of our crappies come from gin clear water over weeds  about 10 -15 fow. What works best for you?

[PondPro]

i use a green light at night and i can see the crappies come in and bite my jig..

[crappieslayer22]

i use a regular light and watch crappie come abd eat other fish then bite my jig

[A- bomb]

Obviously you do this at night, most all of mine are in the daylight hours. One place i fish they just cruise around the channel and are really not wanting to eat. But when they are on!! I love how they just appear. For some reason my midday bite is best.

[pikeferret]

thats pretty much all I do!

[papermouth]

Thats pretty much all we do!  Well me and my son pikeferret. We have been sight fishing for about five years now
and don't use the vex much any more!!!

[Skipper]

I have seen folks laying down on the ice with blankets over them. When they get up, I can see they are using a reel with no rod and they had their face in an ice hole. Interesting method.

[papermouth]

I have seen folks laying down on the ice with blankets over them. When they get up, I can see they are using a reel with no rod and they had their face in an ice hole. Interesting method.

Wow that's sounds like alot of fun, but I think I will stick to useing my shanty for now but ya never know!

[Snapper]

Sounds fun and I bet it can be productive at times but you are limiting your self dig time. 

Snapper

[pigsmallie]

I just started doing it but it kind of grows on you after doing it for awhile.

[whitetailmaster]

i use a green light at night and i can see the crappies come in and bite my jig..

Hey pond,
  I was just wondering where you put the light. In the water, next to the hole or what. I was thinkin about purchasing one for next year and just trying to get as much info on them and see if they really help.

[slabgill]

What size line do u use?

[RLWagner]

Unless the Gills are deep, i always sight fish. One pound test and as flimsey as a rod as they get. This set up lands 1/2 a dozen pike up to thirty inches every year as well. Sight fishing if yur water clarity is good enough is the best way to fly in my opinion for pannies and Pike! Ilove to have a jigging rod rigged with a Golden or Gill for wjen the pannies scatter. That nearly always means a toothy critter in teh area. To watch a Pike eye balling your rig, then the lightening strike!!! Yea Baby!
But I land them on 1 lb as well because not al the time does a Pike give you a warning that he is in the area.

[Highcountry]

I have also sightfished for the last 5 or so years!  Mostly 5 to 6 fow!  I agree on watching the pike
eye up your jig, its a rush! 

[Bgreen02]

Up until last year I had fished in deep water so that I couldn't see the bottom. However last year I went out and fished in some water about 8 feet deep but it was so clear you could see every detail on the bottom. Just watched the fish come and pick at the bat until you could finally hook them. I also don't have a finder so this way I know the fish are there rather than hoping to attract them.

[brittlab]

I've site fished the IGL's several times. mostly for gills. saw some fantastic crappies but they didn't seem to care about my offerings. tried minnow, minnow heads, crappie nibbles. I sure would like to pull up a few thru a hole this winter.

[A- bomb]

throw on a small horizontal ice fly. no bait and just top your finger slowly on the rod. make sureto hold it above their head by about 4-6 in and be ready as the crappie will suck it in and spit it out before you can even blink.

[wildRed]

My husband has been trying to teach me how to sight fish thru the ice, and it is not as easy as he makes it look.  He is 6'2" tall, and can lean back and see the fish rise and hit the jig, even if it is dark.  I have to sit on a pail and lean over the hole to see the fish, and even then I have a hard time seeing everything.  When we get perch in less than 5' of water, I can see them hitting the jig, and it is amazing...but I can feel the fish smelling my bait, thats why I outfish my hon....

[A- bomb]

small ice flies are the ticket for those "finicky" big crappies, no bait and tap the rod with a finger. color is all the difference. i carry 20 -30 colors at any time. i tie my own so its cheap. (see ice flies under jigging) but you better be quick as a crappie will come in and blow on it a few times before he'll suck it in.
but he'll blow it out twice as fast.