Gills At Night

[fishingMarshall]

Do gills bite very good at night?  What are the best ways to target them at night ?  Thanks for any info. I never ice fished at night before.

[P.I.K.E.]

I've caught them 60-90 minutes into the darkness but the bite slows down dramatically.

[MSUICEMAN]

agreed.... seems like i can catch em at dusk... then maybe a little bit after darkness falls.... then the bite seems to die off.

[Reel Wet Ride]

I'm in agreement with the others. What I've found is that there is a steady bite throught the day but for 20 min right before dark the fish put the feed bag on. Most everyone is catching fish. If your not, then your fishing the wrong spot. But after the sun goes down, bluegills pretty much shut off. If your over a decent spot you may be able to catch 1 or 2 fish every hour or so, but I wouldn't expect much more than that. However, there are also lakes where the fish bite right in the middle of the day and the morning and evening fishing is a waste of time. It just depends on the lake.

[PIKEGUY]

Sounds pretty familiar. I was on a hotspot the other evening and it was just getting dark when I got there. Set up, hammered a few and it got dark. two more hours, three more fish. Didn't have any glo jigs though. Wonder if it'd make a difference on gills?

[Auger]

I've never gotten into them after dusk.  Depending on where you set up, you can sometimes switch rods and catch crappies out of the same hole as the sun goes down.

[Reel Wet Ride]

Glo-jigs will help you catch 2 to 3 more fish after dark than if your not using them. And on some nights it might help you catch A fish when you might not catch any. The one thing that I found hold true for almost every lake that I've fished when it comes to gills is that if your catching fish that are suspended say in 15 fow, about 45 to 30 min before dark those fish will start to move to the closest weed bed to feed. Sometimes you can just watch the guys fishing around you and see it happen. If I get to the lake early and I know I'm in the spot I'm going to fish for the night, I'll drill 3 or 4 holes in the deeper water, 3-4 on the break, 3-4 on the edge of the weeds, and 3-4 in the weeds. Just leave the slush in them so if you don't use them, they can freeze up solid and so there isn't an other guys fishing your hole when its time for you to move that direction.

[fishingking]

yes i have caught gills at night but only in crystal clear lakes where they dont feed during the day.

[blue mule]

i've caught them at night, but not enough to be any help. catch em through the day, into evening, then the crappies start into the night. catch crappies for an hour or two then get a gill or two, then more crappies.i dunno.

[Swift]

Think a lot of it depends on the lake and the fishing pressure on them. Have a couple of lakes that get fished heavily (families and kids) and they catch many dinks with enough OK ones to keep them coming back, all day right up to dark. Virtually everyone leaves at dark, a half hour or so later, and for about an hour the big boys show up (or at least open their mouths). We can pick up a dozen or so 8" - 9" 'gills (<6" to maybe 7" during the day) during that time simply going from abandon hole to abandon hole, fishing them for only a minute or so working  the water column rather quickly. With a full and new moon the time lengthens and they are more aggressive. Seems when we catch a few at a certain depth the rest will be at that level also. Have tried it on some other lakes close by and virtually identical yet it doesn't work at all. Only thing I can say is try it, there may be a hidden gold mine there.

[reelbigfish]

  I work construction and like to hit the ice after work.  Quite often I'll be heading out around sunset when other guys are heading for shore.  The gills stop biting
around dark because the pupils in their eyes need time to adjust to the dark.
I've glowed up some jigs and caught my limit about an hour after dark once their eyes adjust to the light conditions.  Crappies swim around just under the ice looking for minnows after dark so if the gills don't turn back on I fish for them.





Ted

[fishingMarshall]

Gave it a try tonight for an hour.  1 gill and missed another good bite. Genz worm that glows with a mealworm.

[crappie rob]

On more than one occasion I've hammered gills at night, Lake Osakis, glow ants and maggots. Chummed alot, just seemed they couldn't resist. Crappie Rob

[Van_Cleaver]

Most of the lakes I fish, the gills will put the feed bag on about a half hr. before dark to a half hr or so after. Glow jigs will almost always improve your catch, by extending the time they will bite. Also, a flasher can really tip the odds in your favor; you know when you're over fish. It pays to have several rods rigged and ready before the bite happens, cause in the heat of battle, it is tough to rerig, especially when there is little or no light. A lantern can help, but if the fingers are already numb.........

[FXjohn]

Most of the lakes I fish, the gills will put the feed bag on about a half hr. before dark to a half hr or so after. Glow jigs will almost always improve your catch, by extending the time they will bite. Also, a flasher can really tip the odds in your favor; you know when you're over fish. It pays to have several rods rigged and ready before the bite happens, cause in the heat of battle, it is tough to rerig, especially when there is little or no light. A lantern can help, but if the fingers are already numb.........

So how do gills sense bait at night?
I say smell and jig vibration...other people think they can see at night?
Does jig color matter at night?
I've found they can still be had slowly into the night...like any other slow day.


Question 2: do they have a 3:00am type bite?

[NickP]

Of course- do your eyes ajust as it gets darker? Of course..... AS long as no1 shines a light in your eyes you ajust rather quickly. Try it tonite have the light on and look at it then jump outside in the dark- 5 mins and it will be like living in shade. Im sure you can get gill around the clock its just finding them and staying with them and keeping them hungry. Fish get full quick- 5-10 spikes will keep a 7in gill going for at least a day or 3 in the temps of 30 degrees or so.Keep changing lures and baits too- fish get wise after you drop a teardrop down the same hole for the 50th time....same bait too.... switch it up dont be afraid to change but rule number 1 is dont leave fish. Period.

[FXjohn]

Of course- do your eyes ajust as it gets darker? Of course..... AS long as no1 shines a light in your eyes you ajust rather quickly. Try it tonite have the light on and look at it then jump outside in the dark- 5 mins and it will be like living in shade. Im sure you can get gill around the clock its just finding them and staying with them and keeping them hungry. Fish get full quick- 5-10 spikes will keep a 7in gill going for at least a day or 3 in the temps of 30 degrees or so.Keep changing lures and baits too- fish get wise after you drop a teardrop down the same hole for the 50th time....same bait too.... switch it up dont be afraid to change but rule number 1 is dont leave fish. Period.

Yeah, but do you know this ( that they can see in picth black water under ice), are is this just speculation? They sure don't care about a lantern.
For the lake i was fishing on, it was all about the nibble lately.
#16 and spikes.hope you nail them when they breathe them in and spit them out..before that, #12 and beemoths worked better, and they hooked themselves.

[Van_Cleaver]

Last night, I fished a really nice late bite. The fish were aggressive, and bit steadily from just before dark til I lit the lantern. They quit for a little, but was able to pick up five more after dark. Don't have all the answers on what gills can and can't see or sense, but was charging jigs and spoons, tipped with maggots, and juiced with some crappie and panfish scent. Probably could have taken more but had to check into a cheap motel. (6:00PM)  The fish did seem to be roaming about; would catch a couple from one hole and then have to seach for more. It seems to pay to have a bunch of holes drilled ahead of time, and mark the ones that held fish.

[bonkfan14]

yes i have caught gills at night but only in crystal clear lakes where they dont feed during the day.

very true...zeke

[Reel Wet Ride]

Last night, I fished a really nice late bite. The fish were aggressive, and bit steadily from just before dark til I lit the lantern. They quit for a little, but was able to pick up five more after dark.

That pretty much sums up gill fishing. IMO a good general rule of thumb is that there is a steady to aggressive bite for 15-20 min each side of sunset..then a slow bite throughout the nite.  Its only a general rule of thumb because I've had nights where I couldn't buy a bite until after dark, then slammed them. Plus the last few times I was bored and fished at predawn 3-5am, I've done decent enough.

[pikeferret]

Me and opjames were fishing for crappies at night and were catching gills way after dark. we had a lantern and if we turned it off they stopped biting but as soon as it was back on they were biting.

[Lobes]

I love to fish them on open water after dark with a fly rod on the drop offs. I don't know how they see the fly but you won't be able to. All I can say is that is when the real big boys come up from the deep and you had better have a good grip on that fly rod because they will nearly rip your rod right out of your hands! The bite will be fast and furious for at least a half hour and up to two hours on a good night. You will be able to see nothing!!! That makes it real huge fun, even for an old fart like me!

                                                 

[hunters08]

we have caught the gills on chautauqua lake after dark lots of times one time they kept biting, there were 6 of us and we fished till midnight catching gills and calico

[Swift]

Had the time and went out this AM @ 5:30 to a local overfished body of water. Had a blast all by myself catching nice fish on most anything dropped down the hole. First fellow angler arrived around 7:30 and it was all but over by then, dink time. Kept 9 that averaged ~8" and let a dozen or so more go (1 was 9 1/8") on a lake where the average day fish is around 6". Also been doing good staying out until ~ 8:00 PM when others left at dark.

[godeep]

glow will make a big difference in that situation!

[Swift]

Glow Red has been doing best for me ib the dark.

[Lobes]

Sooo then ...
If you're catching gills after dark on hard water are they in the same type structure you get them during daylight hours? Do they run bigger? Smaller? Typically same mix in size that you normally get during the day?
When I get into them on open water at night they are found in open water over drop offs. And they are very aggressively feeding when they turn on. Does that hold true as well on ice?

                                                       

[Swift]

These are just (some of) my beliefs for local bodies of water and 40yrs on the ice - The big boys aren't dumb   and hang out deeper until the maddening crowd leaves. Sure you can catch a biggie/keeper midday shallow but it usually is only 1 in 10 that are caught. Can catch big 'gills in 20'+ (3" off bottom to suspended anywhere) of water during the day, they feeding but not where you think or where the crowd is. Have caught many slabs using a small Jigggin Rap out and over deep flats, nice way to pick up a great mixed bag of Perch, Crappie and 'gills midday, big 'gills have no problem slurping up a minnow. Near dark we get the little 10 minute flurry as some come drifting up and in to feed on the little stuff that (can) get active at dusk and dawn. Many wait a bit longer to move in and can stay all night before moving out. Some come up around noon, after the morning people leave and before the evening boys show where there is an ample food source. Are they thinking this out? NO - just the pattern they got into when young and simply didn't get caught doing it. ~~ Usually catch bigger fish at night and there is little doubt when they hit. Find the entrance as they come in and it's a blast but they will slowly work over a flat taking targets of oppurtunity.

[pigsmallie]

I catch some of my biggest gills after dark, but it has to be on a gin clear lake. I'm talking 9" and bigger.

[captain54]

Best time for me is very early morning,then late day till about 1/2 after dusk. I like overcast days to sunny, low light.I fish a gin clear body of water( can see a ratso 13 feet down) and had good luck about an hour after dark with laturn but the crappie bite takes over them.