Ice fishing at night

[icecoldchrome]

I'm thinking about trying some ice fishing this evening after work I have never ice fished at night I do alot of night fishing in the spring and summer so I was wondering anyone have any luck doing this or am I wasting my time I'll most likely be in 5 to 7 fow  in a trout stocked lake

[hardwater diehard]

Night bite crappie during mid to late season is a blast ...the hiss of a gas lantern ...headlamps 

[icecoldchrome]

Good to know just made plans we are heading out tonight about 10pm to see what happens  give it a few hours and hope we get lucky worse case we scratched the itch we only got out once last year

[Five mile]

I fish a lot at night to fit my schedule.  Find the right lake and it's a blast but I also spend many nights skunked.  Still doesn't stop me from going.  I will say that I have much more luck with jigging as opposed to tip-ups.

[onestring]

I would say no not yet intill ice is thicker I was at la today very sketchy during the day wouldn't do it at night please be safe a few trout are not worth it

[charger7022]

I agree night bite crappies are fun if you get on emu but do be careful ice is not that great yet and please don't go alone.

[chez]

I do the majority of my icefishing from 2pm to 10.00pm.
The 45 MINUTES before dark is outrajouse most evenings.
The calico bite gets good after their eyes a just to the lite conditions.
I've caught some of my biggest gills threw the ice after dark.
Walleye bite is great after dark too where I fish.bullheads bite great also.
I've caught big gills up to 11pm.
Seems the perch bite dont happen after dark.
Good Luck.Give it a try this season.

[hardwater diehard]

I do the majority of my icefishing from 2pm to 10.00pm.
The 45 MINUTES before dark is outrajouse most evenings.
The calico bite gets good after their eyes a just to the lite conditions.
I've caught some of my biggest gills threw the ice after dark.
Walleye bite is great after dark too where I fish.bullheads bite great also.
I've caught big gills up to 11pm.
Seems the perch bite dont happen after dark.
Good Luck.Give it a try this season.

All true ..perch will hit an hour to an hour and a half before sunset ...then gone ...I've fished till midnight on occasion .The bigger gills will be mixed in with the crappie..very fun times. I do fish a spot for crappie which is hot from 2pm till dark ...after that you couldn't buy a bite..water is very stained...so pretty dark at sundown..took me a couple of hard fishing nights to determine that.

[planner47]

if you can find a lake that the crappies are active and clear water the bite is a blast. I fish a lake that the bite ends around 2 am. its in the deepest part of the lake and has shad in it. we set up just before dark and wait, there is usually a few more guys that fish this way which is great. the shad are in schools and they roam the deepest flats looking for zooplankton that are near the top for the sun light and they slowly start to descend and that is what the shad are looking for. you see them first (shad) on your flasher and it really lights it up, then the crappies come next . this is where the other guys around you help. we work as a team. whoever sees the shad first will shout shad and everybody will be on the alert. it seems like the shad just make circles until the zooplankton finally make it to the bottom, which is around 2 am. we use glow jigs tipped with waxies. these are going to be the biggest crappies in the lake. so just take what you can eat and throw the rest back for your future outings. hope this helps you with your night fishing. never caught a perch after dark and just a few sunnies.

[PAfishing 58]

i do some ice fishing at night, like people said can be a blast if you find a school of crappie non stop action. Just a little tip if using any battery operated lights BRING extra battery's...

[Oneflagdown]

Me and a couple friends hit up Lake Erie at night for big bull gills and also thin lips when the time is right ! It's a blast we also use a green light under the ice it works well .

[minnook]

give it a try, i fish alot after dark do well.. but never go yourself..   safety first

[butcher]

Some really good comments here on night fishing so far.  I'll second that you should not go out ice fishing alone EVER - day or night - but especially at night.  ALWAYS bring a buddy. 

As for the actual fishing, it's hard to beat crappies at night.  I have found the best crappie bite usually begins at dusk but I often find that it only lasts 1-2 hours after dark on the lakes I fish.  Also, feeding crappies (and other species as well) will suspend after dark.  if you are pounding the bottom, you are likely to get skunked.  On the lakes I fish, I catch most of my crappies just under the ice.  Some nights they're just a couple of feet below the ice surface and other nights they are a little further down (3-5 feet).   If you have good electronics, you will see the schools.  If not, start fishing 2 feet below the ice surface and then drop down a foot or so every few minutes until you find the fish.  Once you find the depth where they are feeding, set any other apparatus at the same depth.  Fish of the same species tend to suspend at the same depth even in different locations on the same lake.  Also, do not fish below the fish.  If fish are suspended and you are fishing two feet below them, they won't see the bait and you'll get no bites.  A suspended fish is more likely to hit a bait three feet above them than 6 inches below them...

Three more tips:

1. Sometimes the light from a lantern or flashlight will attract fish.  Sometimes it scares them.  If you are not getting hits while standing in or near the cone of light, try going to the edge of the light's reach and fish there.  Some nights I catch everything near a light and some nights the fish want complete darkness.  I don't understand why that is but just be aware of it and switch it up if you aren't getting bites.

2. Glow in the dark baits can be VERY effective after dark.  Buy a few and give them a try.  Also use more standard non-glow baits and see which the fish prefer.  Some nights they prefer one over the other. 

3.  If you are going to use tip-ups after dark, tie/tape some cheap bells to the flags so you can hear them when they are tripped.  Right now most craft stores will carry those  little Christmas bells that are perfect for this application.  They are super cheap and effective.

Good luck and stay on top!

Butcher

[charlijones]

"I fish at night alone 80% of the time I go out.  I don't feel any less safe out there. "

ditto

[butcher]

Nuango,

I only emphasize the safety issue at night because if there is a problem, passersby (if any) are less likely to see someone in danger at night than in the day. 

I had a personal experience a couple of years ago that was very scary.  It was during the day on an otherwise deserted part of Promised Land lake.  My family and I left the lake but one of my brothers stayed behind with his kids to spend some time at the lake.  My brother fell and hit his head on the ice.  He was in and out of consciousness for the better part of an hour and luckily managed to call one of us while he was semi-conscious.  It took us 30+ minutes to get to him during which time he made repeated calls to several people.  He spoke to several different people a few times and could not remember calling them the previous times.

He was lucky.  He spent the night in the hospital and was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (severe concussion).  We got to him in time and, save for a bad headache and a couple of days of memory loss, he had no long-term issues.  If he was unable to regain consciousness or get the call through, he could have died out there from something as simple as a slip and fall.   

This is just one of many problems that can occur when we are outdoors. Being alone only compounds the problem.  If someone is with you or if you are in the presence of other fishermen at least, somebody can help you if needed.  It can be the diference between life and death.   

Please be safe all. 

[Chris338378]

I won't fish at night during first or last ice because you can't see the ice as well and you could end up in a bad spot before you realize it or it's too late.

[rlusk3030]

Night is my favorite time to ice fish a clear night hopefully some moonlight and a bucket of panfish to cap it off some of the best times ive ever had on the water. Sitting in a shanty on a bad weather night with only a propane lantern has a special nostalgia about it as well.

[SuskySlayer]

I only did it once with some buddies and it was sketchy even on a familiar lake. Decent bite at dusk bite died shortly after.

[hardwater diehard]

I only did it once with some buddies and it was sketchy even on a familiar lake. Decent bite at dusk bite died shortly after.

There is a lull after the dusk bite ...hour or two some time ...but some lakes do shut down after the dusk bite ...I have a spot that took me three good tries to determine that .

[planner47]

hardwater diehard is wright. at least from my experience. I think this is why you do not see more guys on the ice at night. you also have to have a lake that has that night bite, so you have to put in the work.  but when you find that lake it is a gold mine! also I carry a gps with my launch area marked so if a bad snow storm hits and it's a white out I can get off the ice to the launching area.


 

[PacDoc]

night is great late season... but try early morning..3-9/10am..done that a few times and had great results for eyes,perch and crappies 

[Swc5006]

Anyone have recommendations on lights to use to illuminate the fishing spot?  Also just to double check it is legal to fish with artificial light in PA; correct?

[hardwater diehard]

Anyone have recommendations on lights to use to illuminate the fishing spot?  Also just to double check it is legal to fish with artificial light in PA; correct?

Cant beat the hiss of a gas lantern atop a bucket ...I also use a 20 buck Eveready head lamp.

[charlijones]

Propane lantern not only provides light but also heat, if you're in a small enclosure (flip over) it could provide all the heat you'll need.   Some say crappies are attracted by light, plankton are, then bait fish, so it makes some sense. 

Every time I've fished with a battery lantern I missed the heat from the propane version, besides keeping you warm it will also keep your line and holes from freezing up.

[regham]

Might want to also take a compass, out on the middle of the lake at night in a snowstorm  can be tricky

[planner47]

Anyone have recommendations on lights to use to illuminate the fishing spot?  Also just to double check it is legal to fish with artificial light in PA; correct?

  I use a headlamp, atom light and my favorite little buddy heater.