As a newly-minted crappie enthusiast, chances are you have quite a few questions about how to go about catching as many crappie as you can. ( I STILL do…LOL) You probably want to know about their spawning habits, what lures they are attracted to, what type of bait they will go after, and so on.
Of course, another thing that many crappie anglers want to know would be whether the crappie can see at night. Well, if you’ve been on the lake at night for any length of time, then you will know that the answer to that question is definitely an enthusiastic “yes!” As a matter of fact, many crappie actually prefer the night time hours to congregate because the water is calmer; thus, many anglers realize that they should take advantage of this in order to catch more of them! If you are looking to appeal to more crappie at night and appeal to their night vision, here are some things you should know:
Here are some good hooks for crappie fishing. size 8-12 are great!
Use Lights
Much like us human beings need light to see at night, so do the crappie. Thus, remember that on your next night fishing excursion when you are lighting up your lantern. If you are going to catch more crappie, give them some light too!
However, do realize this: lighting up the water and the depths of your fishing not only appeals to the crappie by helping them see, but it also engages the crappie in a specific process. Using either floating or submersible lights will attract crappie to your fishing spot because it engages them in all of the steps.
You not only will help them see better, but this extra light will increase the plankton in your fishing area. In turn, this will increase the bait fish around your area. Finally, when there is more bait fish in your area, there will also be more crappie in your general vicinity as well.
Understanding this process is crucial for your crappie-catching success at night. Moreover, a full understanding of this process is a great way to have a solid back-up plan, simply because even if the crappie cannot see the glare of your lights, you can be certain that they can definitely see the baitfish and plankton that your light is attracting as well!
The one I have came from Amazon and it is the Firewatermarine 12V MAXX LED GREEN UNDERWATER SUBMERSIBLE NIGHT FISHING LIGHT I highly recommend getting one. I have videos onmy youtube channel that show the fish coming in and eating the plankton that are gathering around the light.
Use Brightly-Colored Lures
Whether it is day or night, you should always leverage the fact that crappie are sight feeders. Naturally, just like people, the crappie will be attracted to brightly-colored items. This is why you should use brightly-colored lures. Moreover, you should be aware that the vision in a crappie is so adept that they will be easily able to spot a brightly-colored lure even if the water is a bit murky.
Of course, you should be aware that using bright lures at night might work best when you have encountered a school of crappie. This isn’t always easy to do, but one way to increase your chances of finding a school would be to fish further down the river or in the middle of the lake, especially on nights where it is very cold. Naturally, crappies will always have an appetite, and it is an instinct of them to move around in these large schools.
You can bet your bottom dollar that when they encounter a lure in this darkness that stands out because of how bright and shiny it is, they will be compelled to investigate it.
Need CHUM ? Here’s an article you might like about chum for crappie.
Crappies Will Not Only See Light at Night, But They are Very Comfortable With Them as Well
Light not only will attract some of the crappies’ favorite snacks, but there is no need for you to worry about whether the light will spook them or not. Newsflash: it won’t, because crappie are very comfortable with them.
This is another area that you can use to your advantage. First of all, one way that you can use light to appeal to crappie is by using sealed-beam lights. These types of lights have a styrofoam flotation device, making them an added attraction to the crappie.
Moreover, the best part about this type of light would have to be that you can sidestep that earlier three-step process and just go right to attracting crappie. Another great advantage to using a styrofoam flotation light is that it won’t attract those highly distracting bugs simply because you are placing it in the water instead of in the air. Be sure to position these lights so that you can fish right beside the beams.
Crappie and Their Night Vision: Using it to Their Advantage
Another reason why you should fully understand just how well crappie can see at night is because they will definitely use this skill to their advantage. When you go out night fishing for crappie, one of the first things you will notice is that they have a tendency to have quite a few hiding spots. What I mean by this is that they will often go down to the deeper depths of the water or they will find some large brush, reeds, or other underwater plants to hide behind.
Thus, the good crappie night fisherman will keep this in mind and use it to THEIR advantage as well. For instance, you have to be as organized as possible in this regard. When you have decided on a bait, you should strongly consider suspending it at various levels from your bite.
You should allow for a bait to be placed at five feet; one at ten feet, and possibly even one at twenty feet or more. This will make it more likely that you will appeal to the crappie at every level and it will definitely increase your chances of success.
Experienced Anglers Often are Very Organized When They Want to Take Advantage of a Crappie’s Night Vision
One of the main differences between experienced crappie anglers and beginners is that the seasoned ones will usually develop a certain organized plan for their crappie night fishing endeavors. For example, one such angler likes to freeze a spotlight on a crappie, put a jig by his nose, and then reel the fish in after they start aggressively eating. Of course, most experienced anglers also realize that this runs the risk of spooking the fish.
However, either way you look at it, the same principle applies. When you are angling for a certain fish species such as crappie, you have to take everything about that breed into account. In the case of nighttime fishing, if you closely study their behaviors, you will not only fully understand how well they can see at night, but you will also have plenty of crappie in your boat as well!
More about keeping worms alive after your fishing trip – what do fishing worms eat?
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Darren Enns Author is a father of four boys that LOVE fishing.
