Gillin when dark

[higbee]

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?

[Van_Cleaver]

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.

[Swift]

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

[luckyfish]

Yep! I've also done good well after dark on some big bulls!

[3300]

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.

[panfishman13]

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

[Spider1]

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.

[slipperybob]

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. 

[big bobber]

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.

[icebucketjohn]

I've never done really spectactular on gills after dark... have had better luck with Crappies

[ryno]

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!!

[Van_Cleaver]

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.

[DanaM]

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.

[slipperybob]

Was out crappie fishing and at 7:30 pm, I caught a bluegill.