Author Topic: Crappie at night  (Read 2064 times)

Offline Ravo Himself

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Crappie at night
« on: Mar 05, 2019, 04:42 PM »
Going out one night this week for crappie. Never done it before. Any suggestions on jugs and techniques? I have a good underwater green light. Are glow jigs/plastics the way to go?
The BIG one is just one flag away!

Species caught : largemouth, smallmouth,  bluegill, perch, White perch, crappie, trout, catfish, bowfin, pickerel, pike

-Ryan-

Offline lowaccord66

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #1 on: Mar 05, 2019, 06:00 PM »
Absolutely need glow jigs.  You'll find as the charge dies they stop hitting them.  Lights seem to be touch and go for me.  Some nights they work great some nights they do nothing to help.  Send me a pm if you want company.

Offline sgalante

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #2 on: Mar 07, 2019, 04:59 AM »
Agreed on the glow jigs. Crappie fishing for me comes down to three lures. The tiny teardrop, the glow worm with a plastic teaser, and a small bucktail for the rare times you find the big ones suspended below the small ones.

Glow lights can be great or terrible. You will always get the plankton/bugs? to show up but getting the bait fish to follow is the key. It can be sometimes hard to coax the bait out of the shallows at night. Spot is most important. If you can find a steep drop off close to shore put the light there. Once the bugs show up, you might be able to coax the bait out. Then again if you are on water where the bait cruises below the surface everywhere at night you will crush as long as long as the crappie follow.

So yeah... I guess in conclusion.... lights are a roll of the dice? Not sure if anything I just said helped in any way.... Just like all fishing advice.

Offline woodstock60

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #3 on: Mar 07, 2019, 05:53 AM »
I also find some live bait makes a difference, I keep my mummy traps out all winter and I catch them as small as  1/2 " they love those small lively bait fish on a glow teardrop

Offline Ravo Himself

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #4 on: Mar 07, 2019, 12:22 PM »
Planning on setting up right on a drop off. My buddy and I will be throwing a while bunch of different stuff down the hole. Have all sorts of glow jigs and plastics to try along with live bait. Hopefully they're hungry. They're a blast when they get aggressive
The BIG one is just one flag away!

Species caught : largemouth, smallmouth,  bluegill, perch, White perch, crappie, trout, catfish, bowfin, pickerel, pike

-Ryan-

Offline PikeKing23

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #5 on: Mar 07, 2019, 02:49 PM »
When you going and where?  PM if you want. I've been thinking about doing this all season. Not sure if I'm ready though, lol. Not prepared for night ice.

Offline catskills

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #6 on: Mar 07, 2019, 02:53 PM »
please report back how you do.  I have been debating on trying

Offline Ravo Himself

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #7 on: Mar 07, 2019, 08:34 PM »
Went to my spot on the cove. Fairly productive night. Guy next to us iced a 8.5lb bowfin before dark. I got a nice 3lb cat, a couple 13"perch and then got into the crappie here and there. Was able to take a good amount for the freezer. My buddy ended up with two 14+". Definitely be doing it again







The BIG one is just one flag away!

Species caught : largemouth, smallmouth,  bluegill, perch, White perch, crappie, trout, catfish, bowfin, pickerel, pike

-Ryan-

Offline sgalante

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #8 on: Mar 08, 2019, 12:21 PM »
Looks like a good day indeed! How are you powering your light?

Offline Ravo Himself

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #9 on: Mar 08, 2019, 12:29 PM »
Runs off 3 AA batteries. It's just a cheap Berkley light but it works pretty good. Definitely attracted a big cloud of Plankton
The BIG one is just one flag away!

Species caught : largemouth, smallmouth,  bluegill, perch, White perch, crappie, trout, catfish, bowfin, pickerel, pike

-Ryan-

Offline sgalante

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #10 on: Mar 08, 2019, 12:49 PM »
Nice. I didn't think to look for battery powered ones for some reason... Got one and spliced it into my transducer battery. You use it at Wethersfield cove? Good to know. Planning on being there tomorrow at some point. Might pack my light as well if things are going well.

Offline Ravo Himself

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #11 on: Mar 08, 2019, 01:20 PM »
That was my first time trying it. Like others said it definitely didn't hurt to have it but I don't know that it helped a whole lot. There was definitely Plankton but didn't see any bait fish hanging around it. They certainly liked a freshly charged spoon with spikes though
The BIG one is just one flag away!

Species caught : largemouth, smallmouth,  bluegill, perch, White perch, crappie, trout, catfish, bowfin, pickerel, pike

-Ryan-

Offline sgalante

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #12 on: Mar 08, 2019, 01:28 PM »
Agreed. This is my first year using one. I've only got the bait fish to show up once and that time I caught nothing. Other times no bait fish but plenty of crappie caught. In my mind though it works, and charges glow jigs under water.. (maybe)... There is always the mood lighting argument....

Offline PikeKing23

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #13 on: Mar 08, 2019, 02:21 PM »
I'll be there in the morning, as well.  Look for the dark blue Shappell DX3000 and the fire!  Possibly beer, etc...... ::) ;D @)

Offline wrx2017

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #14 on: Mar 08, 2019, 05:35 PM »
I will be there tomorrow morning, possibly into the night depending on the bite. I’ve never been to the cove so if anyone wants to give some advice or wouldn’t mind some company that would be awesome.
-Josh

Offline BWB-ice

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #15 on: Mar 08, 2019, 06:43 PM »
Hit up the cove today...
Fished the north end and did pretty well.
Got a bunch of bass n perch on traps and jigged up other perch and a few crappie.
Going back tomorrow since it’s supposed to rain Sunday and warm up a bit.
Glad to see 8” of ice!!
"If I fished only to capture fish, my fishing trips would have ended long ago". Zane Grey

"The water you touch in a river is the last of that which has passed, and the first of that which is coming; thus it is with time". Leonardo DaVinci

Offline Ravo Himself

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Re: Crappie at night
« Reply #16 on: Mar 08, 2019, 08:29 PM »
Agreed. This is my first year using one. I've only got the bait fish to show up once and that time I caught nothing. Other times no bait fish but plenty of crappie caught. In my mind though it works, and charges glow jigs under water.. (maybe)... There is always the mood lighting argument....

If nothing else it was cool to have the green glow from under the ice. It makes it feel like your doing something right. Lol
The BIG one is just one flag away!

Species caught : largemouth, smallmouth,  bluegill, perch, White perch, crappie, trout, catfish, bowfin, pickerel, pike

-Ryan-

 



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