Tips for Night Fishing

[FrozenJig]

Anyone got any tips for hittin the ice after dark ?

[Booker]

I do......don't do it.

[big_guy_13021]

Drop a green lite down or use a lantern sometimes its good sometimes its bad....

[BUCKSKI]

Lantern and blackout one side with tin foil.
Don't burn you hut with hot top of the lantern.

Might turn you onto a species that you might not normally catch. Burbot is a great example.

[Esoxman]

Lights on flags.Shanty with good lighting.Good flashlight on head heater food and friends.Eyes feed from dusk on.reflective tape works

[trapper2000]

nights with no wind  are awesome  usually right after dark .... night bites are awesome

[RIVERRAT2]

i will leave night fishing to the young people,but when i was young the bite was great for crappies
with a lantern in the mohawk r.
 
RAT

[FrozenJig]

Thanks everyone, appreciate the safety tips

[combsey]

A good shelter and lights are a start.   I might fish often for eyes and crappies they have lights for your tip upside you tube how yo make your own.    Good luck and stay safe

[adkRoy]

Make sure to have lights outside the shanty so you don't get run over by snowmobiles.

[HudsonRiverRat]

Organize your gear the day before, bring a good headlamp, some extra bottles of propane, set up before dark, drink coffee and not beer.   Have a great time

[Ascott3006]

Ive been wondering about perch at night? Anyone ever try it with any success?

[lil_coondog]

good spotlight to keep an eye on tip ups, put reflective tape on your tip ups and flags

[Capt.morgan]

Flags with lights are cool!

[flagup!]

Perch don't feed at night unless you drop the bait on there head.   Walleyes at night, use good lights on your flags The original night star lights made in Wisconsin are the best ones I' have found.  Drill all your holes before dark set up your tip ups and leave them alone.

[BlueSnow]

Well I've been out one time and my quick take aways:

 1.  I didn't catch any fish (but I'm going back tonight)
 2.  a headlamp is a key piece of equipment to keep hands free for setup and take down
 3.  a snack - we went out right after work and by about 830 I was starving


But it's the best I've got - hopefully tomorrow I will have some more!

[Deadeyes]

I would also bring a GPS so that you can track your route and come back  safely.
Also, a compass depending on how far your going out and it also depends on conditions. A storm came out of nowhere one evening. Check weather forecast.
My son and I would not have found shore without our compass one evening on Mud bay.
Be smart and prepared.

[BlueSnow]

Not much new to report from yesterday

1.  a good lantern.  The one we have is enough to know it's dark outside but not really enough to be helpful when you need to see anything. 

2. Some patience and/or someone who knows how to fish through the ice at night.  It was a rough go for us again with two dink perch. 

3.  Not sure what your setup is but with me I have a hub shanty and then my sled stays outside.  Getting everything organized in the sled to make packing up in the dark easier was a boon for us yesterday.

4.  go someplace you are comfortable being and have fished during the day

It was an awesome night though - and I am looking forward to trying it again next Wednesday.

[62&done]

I've tried it several times with the results all ways the same.  zip  I got all the equipment, the lights, heater,   the shack etc etc
  I went out last night in a blue gill / crappie area.  had a good bite going right up to sun set. fished until 7:30 and not another bite    NONE   
  I'll try it again I'm sure but I just can't seem to figure out this night thing
   Any advise would be appreciated

[Rugburn]

I stumbled into a night bite one day on a local lake. Was going to fish until dark, then head home. Just before dark a few trucks started pulling in and the guys took to the ice. I thought to myself, "what are these guys up to"? So I stayed, pugged in the shacks LED light and kept on fishing. Right at dark the bluegill shut down, then the crappie (didn't know they were there) started biting! Game on, a good bite lasted another 1 1/2 hours. Glow lures worked best.

[62&done]

We learn a lot by watching others. no law against that

[hardwater diehard]

I stumbled into a night bite one day on a local lake. Was going to fish until dark, then head home. Just before dark a few trucks started pulling in and the guys took to the ice. I thought to myself, "what are these guys up to"? So I stayed, pugged in the shacks LED light and kept on fishing. Right at dark the bluegill shut down, then the crappie (didn't know they were there) started biting! Game on, a good bite lasted another 1 1/2 hours. Glow lures worked best.

Mid February is the kick off of night bite crappie season in my neck of the woods...most are in the basin staging for pre spawn/ice out ...if you know where they like to spawn ...draw a line from the basin to that spot ..little movements as the season winds down can be the key .

[Ice Scratcher]

I've always fished throughout the day, and into the evening... Bluegill, perch, pike for daytime..

Nighttime is for...

Crappie!

I always have my crappie camp pre drilled well before sunset, then as the sun is setting, I turn my lantern on so it seems natural... Bobbers or spring bobbers are pretty important with detecting an up bite..

Good luck!

<°)))>{

[Rugburn]

We learn a lot by watching others. no law against that

Situational awareness, or like my Dad told me, dumb like a fox.

[perch chacer]

Pan fish turn off at dusk and hug the bottom to hide from the predators.  Crappies are a different story, come mid February they turn on for a night bite.  End of February last year we hammered the crappies during the day and well into the night.

[Yates70]

I night fish for crappies pretty much the same way I fish for them during the day. Tip downs set up in a 10 foot circle with a lantern in the center or jigging with the sonar. All the crappie I've caught this year have been in 25 to 30 feet of water within 3 feet of the bottom. Pretty much all the other species except for Walleye shut down after dark. Like one of the other members posted, bring a good light and make sure you walk out the same way you came in to avoid any bad ice.

[Ascott3006]

So i didnt try it last year and im planning on trying it this year after dark. Other than glow lures any tips? Has anyone ever tried the fish attracting lights green led white? Tried in years past seems like as it gets dark fish turn off.

[adkRoy]

a good coleman lantern by the hole while jigging works well for crappie fishing. 

[Ascott3006]

Well it sure beats spending more money on special fishing lights. Thanks adkroy

[hardwater diehard]

a good coleman lantern by the hole while jigging works well for crappie fishing. 

Love the hissss of the lantern during the night bite.