Need night time crappie help, please!

Do you think crappie are attracted to those night fishing bobbers that use batteries? I seem to catch a lot more on the poles that I have out using those bobbers than not.

I usually have about 6-8 poles down at night, a few with the night bobbers (so I can see them) and a few with a setup of 3/4 ounce teardrop weight, minnow 1ft above weight and a tiny bobber 1ft above minnow to suspend the bait off the bottom. I'm fishing 4-6ft water and want more crappie, but keep catching catfish on the bottom poles.

Tired of catching cats and want to catch more sweet crappie meat! Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!

They are not attracted to the bobbers from what I have seen. The reason you are catching crappie on the poles with bobbers and cats with the bottom poles is because once the sun goes down the crappie scatter (come out from deep holes and trees) and come up to actively feed. The poles with bobbers on them keep the bait up off of the bottom and thus the crappie find them when they are feeding. The crappie are not as inclined to hug the bottom at night (although they will at times) and thus why you don't catch many on that pole. Hope this help.

Thank you, sir! I need more lighted bobbers then, dam things are expensive though.

Once you find them in deeper water, use a true green submersable light. You'll be amazed at the result. Of course as fishing goes they will not always be there, but don't give up. Some of the best times I've had catching tons of crappie are on a warm summers night when they are suspended and grouped up chasing shad. Good luck and happy fishing!

I do have a green light, but no boat. Been using it off a wooden dock and it's been okay for shallow water (4ft) and has attracted minnows and shad there. I figure it brings some fish closer, but stuck to bank/dock fishing is why I'm having to use the bobbers.

Go get you some of the circular foam bobbers, drill a small hole in them and shove a small light stick made by beacon in there. They'll last all night and you wont have to spend so much on those battery powered ones

Remember also that Crappie don't like light bait fish do, so be sure to fish the edges of the light source that's where the crappie will hang out waiting on a bait fish to stray near.

Red light can make them curious in my opinion. The aquaview camera has a red UV light and many times I've seen crappie come up to take a good look at it.

Thanks for the help, headed out now!

Good questions...first off, night time crappie fishing from the bank can be very good at certain times of the year. Here are some basics...1) get a Coleman lantern and hang it up on a stout forked pole (or stick) about 7' off the ground (preferably over the water or as close as you can get). 2) if you got a floating green light use it too. 3) get some corks that are 'Flo Yellow on the TOP part of the cork (they show up better at night). 4) pitch the corks just outside the lights shine (you will be able to see the FLO Yellow gleam.). 5) get a large minnow net (5 or 6 foot long with a 2 ft mouth or the kind they use at the bait store) so you can catch some minnows or shad that are attracted to the green light (for bait). 6) Catch crappie...give the cats to your buddy that did not go with you (he will next time!) 7) take some snake medicine). 8) put the crappie in a cooler (1/4 full of ice) to keep the snakes away from them. 8) take a 5 gallon bucket with a lid to keep any minnows/shad you catch and for a chair. 9) If you want to buy less minnows...Go to Thermocline Lures website and order a couple packs of Silver Flash Lil Frys and get a pack of 1/16 ball head jigs (#6 hook) to use once your minnows are gone (just in case you can't catch any Shad or menners with your net). 10) If you are using silver flash lil Frys and catch a cat...put the cat in the cooler and get another silver flash (cause that one is defective! LOL). 11) Take a separate cooler for your food/drinks (just in case you need more place to put crappie). 12) Wait till about 5 or 6am to leave for home (take a nap if you need to AFTER you have dealt with any snakes that may be nearby). 13). Take photos and post them on the forum...so WE can be mad we didn't go with you...

FYI...this is also a pretty good tactic for cats/strikers, except you got to get bait first...with a throw net!

My advice when you start catching fish, back down to three poles max...too hard to keep up otherwise...if you get on a really good bite, just use one pole.
Hope this information helps...

Wow, that's great! Awesome advice!

Glad you liked it...It works...take a big cooler for the fish...just in case you picked a good spot...

Keep in mind, Ghost Minnows tend to catch cats...let your buddy use them...you stick with the small Shad...crappie love them...

Normally, three poles is all you can keep up with when fishing. I tend to use only two...because, I don't like to lose many fish....

Also, throw your corks several feet outside the dark edge so they can float into the light with the current and back out again...if no bite, then pitch them back into the darkness upstream, so forth and so on...

Set your corks at different depths, until you find the correct depth...let the crappie tell you what that depth is correct.

If there are rocks where you are fishing, make sure you float a rig by them...love those rocky areas at night, almost as much as the snakes do...

I get a ton of tiny shad swimming in circles around the light, but have a hard time catching any fish around it. Instead of like 5ft out from light, they seem to hang out about 15ft out. It might be cause they can't get under it, being only 4-6 ft deep?

And thanks to you guys tips, I've already had more bites in the last 2 hours than mostly all night I spend out here. I also think cricket hooks help somewhat. They seem to take the size 6 cricket hooks easy, has anyone else tried those?

Already got 2 keepers thanks to y'all!!!

You can't just use a light and expect to catch crappie.
The light attracts bait fish if present. The bait fish in turn attract predator fish like crappie.
You will need to put the light out near structure or where a brush pile is. Any place that holds crappie during the day holds crappie at night. If they are biting in 10 feet of water then you need to find 10 or more of water. If they are shallow then you can catch them at 4-5 feet but I would bet there has to be structure available like your dock.
Drop the light and wait for bait. 30 minutes later the crappie should show.
Use a bright bobber and the green lights will make it glow and easier to see. I use ESB's (Everlasting Slip Bobber) http://www.hloutdoors.com/. Awesome bobbers!
Make sure to set your depth on the slip bobber to find the crappie. If not biting shallow then go deeper.
Good luck!

Thank for all the help, guys! Very productive night of fishing! Caught about 12 total in 4 hous, more than I usually catch ALL night! 3 spit the hook or flopped their way off, several times my bobbers were running sideways but not down because they didn't quite have the hook yet. About 5 young ones, and 4 keepers! Enough to feed the family fish dinner 1 night, which makes the wife happy!

Only had 1 dozen minnows since it was forecast to rain, and ran out just as it started to sprinkle.

1 thing I did do different, was actually put the bait right near the cat tails and try to keep it there. Only 4ft deep and the magic depth was 2 1/2ft down. They would not stop, once I found the depth.

Crappie has to be my favorite fish to eat. Clean and sweet meat! I appreciate all the help and tips you guys gave. I expect my future outings to be even more productive now, thanks to you!

Thank you!!!

PS... it seems the cricket hooks kept them on the line easier, and longer stems to make it easier to unhook the crappie. Only problem is, many times the minnows are too wide to get the little size 6 hook to go through them and out the other side. I was just hooking them through the back.

Great idea, I'll definitely do that! Thanks!

Congrats on the successful outing, next time instead of hooking them through he back hook them through the lips. It'll keep them alive much longer and to me they have more action.

I've tried that several times before, and it is much more action...but the crappie tend to steal them off the hook easier too. Maybe with less poles, I can pay more attention.

welcome to the forum!

The crappie will be on the dark edge of the light (i.e., the darkness just outside the lighted area...throw into the darkness...

Thank you, sir! It was successful, and can only get better!

I got a trick for you. Use the foam round bobbers "My preference is the ones with a led weight on bottom". You can get those at Walmart for $1 a pack for 4. Then you buy these from ebay for $8.

[b](50) 1.5" MINI GLOW STICKS - GLOWING GREEN - FISHING LIGHT - GLO LITE PARTY
Search that in Ebay and you will find many colors. I like to buy the variety pack so me and my brother will know which pole is getting a hit. You could tie one to your line under the water if you want. I havent tried that yet but plan on it. Just take a drill and drill a hole in your bobber snug enough to hold the glow stick.

A guy above gave the same idea, but the glowstick would probably need to be on top to be better seen. I cast out about 30 ft sometimes and I don't know if you could see it under the water from that distance? You could put it on the bottom of the bobber if fishing straight down though. I'm definitely going to try it! I hate losing those $5 glow bobbers or buying replacement batteries for them.

If you want it for seeing the bobber put it on top of the bobber. The bobber will float around like a martini but you can see it from along ways away. If you want it for the fish attractant you could try on the line by the bait.

I thought you might be trying to attract the fish with it as well, wasn't sure though. Another idea for something like that is Party City has various size glowsticks as well, for pretty cheap. Like two 4 inch ones for $1 and some other similar deals. Funny how you have to think outside the box to really catch these suckers!