I have struggled for years figuring out why some nights the crappie feed all night and others you can�t buy one, been several times real early in the AM and not a bite and then at daylight it was like turning on a light switch, so I no the fish wer there, has anyone experienced this or have some insight what makes them feed heavy some nights and not others, maybe moon phase

What is happening is the shad go into different coves and creeks at night to feed and the crappie follow. wind direction can have a big effect on where Daphnia get blown,{ bait fish and crappie eat Daphnia), so keep that in mind when choosing an area.

one way to figure this out is try and locate schools of shad on your lake late evening, and follow them . they will use river channels like highways and exit into creek channels.

For a slightly different version of the above comment, crappie usually head out to the lake flats to feed on the shad, that are chasing daphnia?!, on the flats as they are heading to the coves from the main river channels on the lakes...key idea...set up off the edge of a feeding flat, (around a large tree stump, or other under water feature, that leads from a main channel towards a cove...turn on green lights, get the daphnia/shad coming to the light, catch fish! Finding The right location is a trial and error process, at best...but a good location is a cooler filler...hope this info helps...

iv been 20 times at night and caught 0...............30 min after daylight they start biting like crazy! never figure them out.

Thanks Leanin post and crapicat for the info, so y�all think when i show before light and they don�t start biting till right at daylight they are just coming back in from wherever they wer feeding at night

Nope, to me that is the morning bite (breakfast) and you are on a good spot...in reality, that could be the case, but realistically, you just can�t tell without much more research on the subject...

Gotcha

Jerod, I used to mostly fish at night; primarily because, I couldn�t take time during the day, to do so. There was a lot of trial and error involved in me finding my nighttime crappie holes. I have never really studied shad movements, but if I had there may have been less trial and error involved in the process. One thing I did, and recommend you do, find a fishing buddy that likes to night fish as well...it will greatly aid the safety factor, give you more confidence in moving around at night (on stumpy lakes, especially) and trying harder to locate feeding fish.

A good crappie light is the key to attracting shad/other baitfish into an area, which brings the predator fish. The better the pile of shad, swimming around the boat, the more crappie will move into your area. A good crappie light can attract shad from a long way off, almost a 1/4 of a mile. The LED strip lights I use on my boat, aren�t nearly as strong, but do a fairly decent job of attracting crappie, without the need to throw in an extra battery to run the Green Monster.

Another suggestion, use minnows at night, as the fish are actively feeding;however, they tend to bite in spurts at night. As such, they will actively seek out live bait of any type, with shad and local lake type minnows eaten first, with store bought minnows way down the list. Do yourself a favor and purchase a large minnow net, the type bait store use to dip minnows from their tanks...and use it to dip shad from the lake. Hook the shad upside down (through the belly) or through the tail and toss it out...and hold on!

I learned a long time ago, a �flats area� that is 5-12 feet deep, may as well be designated a feeding flat, especially at night. If you leave the dock about an hour before dark, look around the flats area for shad balls, then locate some ambush cover near the shad balls, get tied up/anchored up and get the lights on....it takes a while to get the shad to your area, so don�t get frustrated until an hour has passed...then if no activity, move around until you find shad and set back up...hopefully, you will find shad, if so it is just a matter of time till the crappie come calling. Hope you can find this information useful!

Only time I�ve caught them at night is over lights

Excellent info there crapicat

Crapicat did share allot of good information.

I would usually set up near the mouth of a large pocket empties into the main lake. Crappie will move in waves and you are trying to intersect their path. Sometimes they are moving into the pocket, sometimes out to the main lake.

I also always fished with Minnows at night, you need to spend an hour in a spot then evaluate staying or moving based on the keeper fish you have caught.

For me the most fun was fishing shallow water at night during the crappie spawn. During the day there would be boats everywhere. But at night just ease down the bank in 4' of water and work them over.

Thanks crapicat and spiderman for the info I�m ready to get back out there and give it a try

Grab a lantern, let the fish come to the light of the lantern and go for it.

It doesn�t always work for me some nights I slaughter em but most are slow, that�s why I was wondering what�s the difference from night to night

Night fishing becomes more consistent post spawn.