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.
Ken McBroom is a freelance writer and photographer based in Indiana. For more fishing information you can visit Ken’s website www.ramblingangler.com.
