Night advice

[Foosty]

I’ve never tried ice fishing at night, what do you do differently?

[Splattypus]

Try not to get scared of the dark and the sounds of packs of hungry coyotes roaming just out of site of your headlamp....

Or are you meaning specifically like lights in the water, different lures, etc?

Ive never done a full overnight, but fished well past midnight plenty of times. Lights under the ice are illegal in my neck of the woods (so check your local laws and regs) , but going for panfish that didn't really matter. Use uv glow jigs, charge them up periodically on your glow ring on your vex, or a $6 uv hand flashlight from Amazon. A little bit of lantern light in the house goes a long way. Have a heater handy. Definitely recommend some reflective trim on your hub or shack. I also recommend some of the good reflective paracord for your tie-down lines so you don't trip and fall when you go out to make room for more beer.

[Foosty]

Yes, I was wondering if a light in the water is necessary, Best lures for night fishing,etc. thanks

[Splattypus]

You do tipups or panfish?

My panfishing route isn't really any different between day and night other than charging my glow jigs a little more frequently. Extra flash or rattle to help them locate your lure probably wouldn't be a bad idea, but I've seen plenty caught on a minnow or waxies on just a bare hook too.

The bite does seem to slow down a touch more, but schools will still roam by and you can get a flurry of action quick between lulls.

Can't really recommend anything along the way of lights under the ice personally, but I'm sure there are more anglers here who can. See plenty of products for it, people usually dropping a waterproof led setup through another hole (even seen a glow stick in a pop bottle weighted down enough to sink).

Ive always got a kick out of some of the glow hole-sleeves, but I can't imagine they're practical for someone just jigging in a hub. Probably aimed at gullible people like me who just like shiny things

[Foosty]

I don’t do tip ups, I like to feel the set of the hook! lol

[hardwater diehard]

Lights work ...from head lamps ..lanterns...underwate r green lights ...fish the edges of the green light Glow and rattle jigs/spoons work as well . Best advice drill lots of holes 2-3 hours before dark...pinpoint the "hot" hole(s) and fish those at dark ...note sundown under the ice is about 45 min before sunset ..also note the bite will be hot and then there will be a lull ...fish need time to adjust there site ... put all unnecessary gear away before it gets dark ...some lakes do not have a nights bite ..dark and stained waters fall into this category. Fishing at dark in the basin at mid season can be lots of fun for crappies   

[Ice_Fly_Guy]

Good tips above. I have observed that some lakes are better than others for a night bite.
 Perhaps clarity has something to do with it. You may have similar observations once you try a few places.

[Foosty]

Good advice, thanks

[hardwater diehard]

Good advice, thanks

Are you pan fishing or predator fishing ?

[Foosty]

Panfishing

[hardwater diehard]

Panfishing

My above advice will work mid season for sure in the basin ...in general first ice most pan fish are in shallower waters ...but not all of them ..I never really used a green light in the shallows ...but have used LEDs in my shelter and as well as a headlamp ..I caught fish . But using a green light might be a bonus in the shallows.

[Foosty]

To me, less is more, if I don’t need a light under the water, that’s good and one less thing to fiddle with, I’m just getting used to using a flasher as it is lol. The Marcum 3 I picked up for a great price is fun for sure though

[hardwater diehard]

To me, less is more, if I don’t need a light under the water, that’s good and one less thing to fiddle with, I’m just getting used to using a flasher as it is lol. The Marcum 3 I picked up for a great price is fun for sure though

Before my green light ...in the basin bite.. I used a propane lantern for light and to warm my hands ..worked well we would usually find/set up on the hot hole and catch till we were tuckered out .

[Splattypus]

Yeah my experience says the light isn't necessary (other than your general house lighting), so definitely make sure you find your holes and set up early, well before dark. If you can find some structure in or at a basin, or even a plateau around a more significant depth change, that's where I'd look to post up for the night. Bites will probably come in waves, so that'll keep it fun and interesting. But its definitely possible the bite just turns off at dark depending on your lake, so try a few times, maybe some different spots, and see if you notice a trend.

We would always head out early afternoon, locate our spot, drill a dozen holes to find our disired depths, and set up well before dark.  If you're looking to get out all day, you have the luxury of hole hopping and trying to find hot spots that you can set up on come nightfall. Some lakes the bite just turns off and dark no matter where you are, and we'll be packing up and heading home by like 8pm.

If you're setup Ina transition spot, you may luck into some drive-by predator fish action, so maybe you can see if you get lucky targeting those during lulls in the panfish bite. Having a variety of setups available for quick switching can keep you entertained, and hopefully help narrow down bite patterns and the routines of the fish in your lake.

[Foosty]

Thanks for the detailed info guys

[rivereddy]

We used to fish up until about 10 PM using a couple of coleman double mantles for light.
The bluegill bite would start to taper off at dusk and the crappies seemed to move in
at dark,

I've posted this before, but we actually did have an encounter with a pack of coyotes one night.
We were fishing some old strip pits where the terrain varied from "highwalls" to water in just a
few yards. There was new ice with no snow - definitely cleats weather. It had just gotten dark
when a cottontail came  roaring over the highwall, down the steep bank, and hit the ice about 20
feet away from us. The reason for the rabbit's flight was a pack of several coyotes in hot pursuit. 
Before we, or they, could react, the 'yotes saw us just as they hit that slick ice. Slipping on the ice,
they slid by us - about the same distance as the rabbit. In sheer panic, they tried to avoid us but the
harder they tried to regain their balance the more they tumbled and slid.  Rabbit 1 coyotes 0 and
we got a good laugh...

fish on, to the hiss of a coleman....fish off,

riveredy

[Tim Burr]

Riveredy sums up my experience, except the cool coyote story. I'm not an early bird. Once I find crappie, I can almost count on those same spots. I give up on my bluegill spots and head for the crappie spots. 8' to 15' fow is where i usually find them on behemoths or small minnows. Glow jigs, Berkley maggots, maybe a small jig n rap, and led flashlights hanging in the shanty. It does, USUALLY get colder which make for good ice conditions . May be experimenting with 2" leds dropped in green vitamin bottles ?

[Foosty]

Thanks guys, appreciate the info, Rivereddy I bet that was a sight to see!!

[TeacherPreacher]

I'm with River Eddie minus the coyotes! Use to use Lantern Boxes with double mantle Coleman lantern in box with glass in front of box for light. We'd put an extra lantern on ice and drill holes around it a couple of feet away. Fished minnows 3'-10' deep. Caught lots of crappies!
Teach

[Ronnie D]

For night crappie, try submerging mason jars filled w/ different color glo sticks & glass marbles in mason jars.
We set em at different depths & the disco effect from every color in da spectrum brings the bugs in better than led's do.

[Oaktree1215]

I'm with River Eddie minus the coyotes! Use to use Lantern Boxes with double mantle Coleman lantern in box with glass in front of box for light. We'd put an extra lantern on ice and drill holes around it a couple of feet away. Fished minnows 3'-10' deep. Caught lots of crappies!
Teach

I love to put a lantern on clear ice and jig about 5 ft around it. Works on the crappie