Practical Tips on How to Fish for Crappie at Night

Night crappie fishing is perhaps one of the most thrilling adventures you can have in your fishing life.

It’s quiet, the stars are looking down on you, and there’s an added challenge of catching a crappie at night. Many would think that night crappie fishing is just a past time and can’t be a productive activity, but how wrong they are! In this article, we will give you useful tips on how to fish for crappie at night to make it a fun and productive activity for you.

How to Fish for Crappie at Night: Underwater Fishing Lights and Gear

Night crappie fishing requires additional equipment to help you deal with the unique circumstances during night fishing. Here are the recommended gear for night fishing:

1. Hooks and baits. Use smaller hooks; #1 size is usually good. You can use any bait, but it’s ideal to keep them small as well. This is because smaller bait will trigger more crappie strikes but the average crappie will be smaller. The bigger the bait, the fewer strikes you’ll have but the average crappie you can catch will be bigger.

2. Rod and reels. Whatever rod and reels are good enough, but your fishing line must be a micro-filament line or a braided line.

3. Fishing light. Bring “plankton” underwater fishing lights for crappie because these fantastic fishing lights can really attract crappie at night.

4. LED headlamp: Use a LED headlamp to see where you’re going!

5. Carry an electronic depth finder. This is optional but certainly useful if you want to find the biggest schools of crappie quickly.

These are the most basic gears you need for a successful trip of night crappie fishing. The underwater fishing lights for crappie can do wonders for your night fishing, so don’t leave without them!

Night Time Crappie Fishing Secrets

Aside from the gears, there are night time crappie fishing secrets you need to keep in mind. Here are some of the best angler secrets the pros don’t want you to know:

1. Fish on the surface. Don’t let your jigs drop to the bottom because crappies feed at the surface. Crappies are cold-blooded and in constant search for better temperature regulation, so they will always head to the warmer surface at night.

2. Shallows or deep? The general rule of thumb is to fish in the shallows when the water is warm and fish in the deep when the water is cold.

3. Night fishing in heavy pressure lakes. Some lakes have a heavy pressure, and it’s important to fish at the right time. Night crappie fishing or even fishing at dawn is best for heavy pressure lakes. This is because crappies will go towards the shallows and be attracted to docks and piers.

Summary

With these night time crappie fishing secrets, anyone can learn through simple trial and error how to fish for crappie at night in any lake or river. Use the appropriate gear especially fishing lights to attract crappie, and use light hooks and lines. Fish on the surface and in the shallows when it’s warm and in the deeper parts when it’s cold. As always, bring backup rigs just in case anything goes wrong.