Night Bite Crappie/Walleye Tips?

[HammyDavisJr]

I'd like to start getting out after work and fishing in the evenings for a few hours.

Any basic tips for night fishing for crappies or walleyes?

I have a Vex to help me mark fish. Jig head tipped with a minnow? Swedish Pimple tipped with waxies/minnow heads? Try everything until I find something that works?

Thanks gents...and ladies!

[CHEX1982]

For crappies...

Upsize your lures slightly. Bigger target + bigger meal + lowlight = easy food for fish.

Don't always resort to glow lures. There are times when fish prefer natural looking silhouette. Don't underestimate crappie's night vision. These guys have evolved alongside walleyes under the same conditions.

Don't always resort to live bait just because it's after dark. Chubby darters have been great for me this year, day or night.

[Pooh]

ive had better luck with a lager crappie minnow and a straight hook after sunset for crappies

[MikeH55343]

Last Sunday afternoon/night, I was using a Demon with just the minnow head during the light hours. I keep all the minnow bodies(headless)and started using the minnow bodies on the Demon jig after dark. Bigger target after dark is a good tactic.

[dmichaelm]

This year after dark we've seen them hitting horizontal jigs (usually #8) with a small crappie minnow tail hooked. Gives it some life. Just sit it under a float and wait.

[jBohmer]

Last night I had a pimple with minnow head 1' off the bottom. I could see a ton of fish suspended about 3'+ off the bottom. I would catch crappies with a glow jig and gulp and wait for my bobber to drop for walleyes. The crappie bite was furious. I was targeting walleye but I think the action of the crappies helped the walleye bite. Fun night, I was catching my favorite two fish at the same time, literally at the same time! I am a big beleiver using glow jigs for crappie, I have had the best luck with them. But sometimes it does not matter. Depends on the lake in my opinion. Good luck Fishing!

[jwmiller33]

can never go wrong with a plain red hook, split shot and a ice buster bobber with the minnow hooked thru the back

[tunrevir]

First thing I'd do is decide where your focus is going to be as far as the fish you are after. There are plenty of crappie fisheries that put out after dark and looking for fish over deeper water is often the easiest way to find active crappies. Walleyes in area lakes tend to bite best at dawn and dusk with a fish here or there after dark or during the day but that is not to say a nice small shiner or large fathead under a bobber rig next to you while fishing crappies isn't going to get hit. Can you give out any info on the lakes you are looking at for nightime activity? Depending on the mood of the fish, crappie minnows, jigs and or waxies or euroes may get the nod. I like to work a glow jig and a glow plastic like a wedgie after dark for crappies, I have had good luck with demon jigs fished with crappie minnows after dark for both crappies and walleyes. Everyone has a go to presentation but if you can give some general lakes you want to hit up you will probably get more refined advice. A presentation that has iced numerous fish for me this winter is the glow tiger raps with a minnow head in the 1/8th oz. Good luck and tightlines!

Tunrevir~

[irishwalleye]

#4 LBD Chubby Darter