I remember as a boy listening to the Grand Ole Opry while fishing for
crappie under a Coleman lantern. The fishing was fast and furious and
we would catch a hundred or so each within just a few hours. It was fun
and it felt like we had the lake to ourselves. The trick to successfully
night fishing for crappie is locating the baitfish. Today we have
complex electronics to help find those baitfish quick and set up for a
great night of fishing.
Lights: There are many
lights on the market for this type of night fishing for crappie and they
all work. Some sink into the water column and you fish your minnow or
jig above the light. The floating light is very popular and seems to be
the light most used today. My grandfather swore by the Coleman lantern
and refused to use those floating headlights for his nighttime crappie
fishing. He said, and of course like most things your grandfather told
you it seemed logical, that the Coleman lantern was better because it
burned the bugs that landed on it and they dropped into the water
attracting baitfish which attracted crappie. Makes sense huh. Well I
guess I fall into the new generation and I use the floating headlight
and still catch crappie but I tend to agree that the lantern might be
better in attracting baitfish from a longer distance which is great for
those without electronics. There is a great lantern hanger on the market
for hanging the lantern over the side of the boat and you don't have to
worry about the battery going bad on your boat. We used to attach
aluminum foil to the back of the lantern to keep it from blinding us
which helped us see our line and those sometimes subtle bites. You be
the judge as to what light you prefer but I can say the sinking lights
and the floating lights are much more convenient and you will never have
to worry about spilling fuel in your boat. It is a good idea to rig a
separate battery for the crappie lights or use your trolling motor
battery. Be sure that you disconnect one of the batteries if you have a
24 volt trolling motor to save your light.
Bait: In
the old days minnows were the bait of choice but again out of pure
convenience the jig or grub gets the nod these days and really seems to
catch just as many crappie as the minnow if not more. The exception is
during the colder months when the bites are so subtle you might need the
taste and texture of the minnow to entice the crappie to take it all
in. It is amazing how many different jigs and grubs are on the market
today and every angler has their own favorite. I like the old school
marabou jigs because they work and a quality jig will stay together the
entire night. Grubs are great and I use them a lot especially when the
crappie refuse to take the marabou jig. This is usually due to the wrong
color and you can find every color imaginable in a plastic grub and
sometimes the right color is the only thing needed to spark a feeding
frenzy.
Tackle: Night fishing for crappie
doesn't take high dollar tackle. All you need is a light action rod and
the reel of your choice. 4 to 6 pound test line is perfect for crappie
fishing at night. The light line not only makes it harder for the
crappie to see your line but it allows for the greatest sensitivity
which is important when the crappie are biting lightly. I have had one
rig with 10 pound test and another with 4 pound test side by side when
fishing for night time crappie. The rod with the 10 pound line hardly
caught a fish while the one with 4 pound test did very well. Many people
want to argue that crappie can't really see your line. I believe they
can but smaller diameter line out performs larger line for other reasons
than visual. The lighter line allows more action in your bait. This is
whether you are using minnows or a jig. The smaller diameter allows the
bait to move easier and more naturally enticing more strikes. Smaller
line also transmits light strikes to your rod tip so that you can see
them. The larger line might be getting as many strikes but you never
know it because the heavier line is absorbing the strike. I have seen
strikes from finicky crappie that don't even kill the minnow. They will
take the minnow or jig in and will not move and with light line and a
light rod you can detect these bites and set the hook before they decide
something isn't right.
