Author Topic: Gillin when dark  (Read 8812 times)

Offline higbee

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 121
Gillin when dark
« on: Feb 10, 2015, 03:44 PM »
Anyone do well when its dark such as early morning? I set up on a spot that is hot during daylight, I can see a variety of fish on hummer sonar screen early morning (dark) but only pick a couple. When light hits, I can hammer on em. I have tried glows w/waxies but to no avail. Clear water.
Any ideas?

Offline Van_Cleaver

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 2,516
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #1 on: Feb 10, 2015, 03:56 PM »
Every lake is different so you have to adjust your tactics sometime. I've done really well on one lake in particular after dark. I've had days when I was nearly skunked, and went back to wherever I had a bite or marked fish and lit them up. One time I was trying for crappie and was hammering big gills well after dark. Have you tried fishing it late? The other thing I love to do is hit a lake just before a big winter storm blows in. Often fish on a tough lake will be way less discriminant. Some days they will bite steadily for hours.

Offline Swift

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 2,728
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #2 on: Feb 10, 2015, 06:59 PM »
Every lake is different so you have to adjust your tactics sometime. I've done really well on one lake in particular after dark. I've had days when I was nearly skunked, and went back to wherever I had a bite or marked fish and lit them up. One time I was trying for crappie and was hammering big gills well after dark.
X2 Do well at night on most waters and on others forget it. More of a pre-dawn person and catch better fish than the dawn patrol does in the same place on most lakes well before any hint of light. Also do well after dark but often it is an hour so after total darkness for some reason. Glow baits and plastics usually larger than I'd use during the day with minnow imitators working better than vertical presentations

Offline luckyfish

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 418
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #3 on: Feb 19, 2015, 09:22 PM »
Yep! I've also done good well after dark on some big bulls!

Offline 3300

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,631
  • Michigan Moderator.Not affiliated with MarCum Tech
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #4 on: Aug 30, 2015, 02:26 PM »
i do good off and on in the dark. as the winter grows on, the off part kicks in more so. i would say middle winter is best.

Offline panfishman13

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 2,385
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #5 on: Sep 20, 2015, 03:59 PM »
if it's legal in your area you could buy a fish attraction light. i have one i use while catfishing at night and i've caught plenty of bluegills clear past midnight while using it

Online Spider1

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 2,359
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #6 on: Sep 20, 2015, 04:36 PM »
not so much early morning on the gills. Just at sun down the gills tend to turn on for an hour or so. I don't think they like the dark so much cuz that's when the predators come out to play.

Offline slipperybob

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 6,551
  • LX5 or die...maybe extra battery.
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #7 on: Nov 07, 2015, 04:30 AM »
On one particular lake, early season sort of - before the crowds city, the gills will start biting just after 3-4 am.  Basically I set up in the dark and sit quietly, semi dimm light and the fish schools show up every 10-20 minutes pattern. 

Sometimes the bites get hot, just as others are drilling ice holes.  I welcome noisy neighbors who send fish my way, just not right next to me...LOL.  That will send fish somewhere else.

This usually works pretty well till about after 8 am.  Then I pack up and leave. 
For more information read my MN nice journal

Offline big bobber

  • Team IceShanty Addict
  • *
  • Posts: 649
  • cant fish during the day...learn to fish at night
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #8 on: Dec 01, 2015, 10:08 AM »
ive done well...but it varies.give em time after nightfall..let their eyes adjust..sometimes that takes hours...hours ive got..ice I don't. ???
i just know they will bite if i stay another hour.

Offline icebucketjohn

  • Team IceShanty Addict
  • *
  • Posts: 879
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #9 on: Dec 10, 2015, 10:06 AM »
I've never done really spectactular on gills after dark... have had better luck with Crappies
Ice-Fisherman: We're all highly addicted, shivering, psychotic patients in the asylum of the frigid.

Offline ryno

  • Team IceShanty Addict
  • *
  • Posts: 681
  • Ditch the bobbers and get a 'tight line'
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #10 on: Dec 11, 2015, 02:19 AM »
Many of my favorite gill lakes ya have to off after sunset so don't fish alot at night for gills.  However, I have had some incredible bites on other lakes well after dark.  If I could pin one constant down as to why...it would be best on nights with a full or bright moon.  Seems like no to minimal moon equates to better bite from about sunset to almost dark.  Full moon means a slower bite at sunset until dark.  This is not a fool proof pattern but a rather a tendency I have noticed. Gills get busy or attractive when the plankton does so the correlation between a night bite and gills might be more of a correlation between the moon and plankton.  Whatever the case I would about kill to be able to have ice right now to do some more research on this!!
]

Offline Van_Cleaver

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 2,516
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #11 on: Dec 12, 2015, 01:58 PM »
One of the best night bites I ever had was during a surprise snow shower that dumped an in or so on a popular NE PA lake. Actually I had my two meals worth as it got dark, so I was just fishing for fun at that point. Hard for me to leave nice size gills that are hitting with reckless abandon. ;) I fished a couple hours after dark, but since I was the only one on the lake and there was a fairly long (now snow covered) access road I decide I better beat it.

Offline DanaM

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 165
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #12 on: Dec 24, 2015, 07:04 AM »
Daphnia will rise from the depths at dark and feed just below the ice, come sunrise the daphnia will reverse course and head for the bottom, false dawn till the sun is up can be hot time.
I would think most lakes have daphnia perhaps some more than others.

Offline slipperybob

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 6,551
  • LX5 or die...maybe extra battery.
Re: Gillin when dark
« Reply #13 on: Jan 23, 2016, 02:23 AM »
Was out crappie fishing and at 7:30 pm, I caught a bluegill.
For more information read my MN nice journal

 



Iceshanty | MyFishFinder | MyHuntingForum
Contact | Disclaimer | Privacypolicy | Sponsor
© 1996- Iceshanty.com
All Rights Reserved.