NIGHT TIME CRAPPIE TECHNIQUES

[P.DONA]

Hi everyone, I just tried fishing for crappie yesterday from about 3:30 to 8:30 pm. we got about 24 Crappie total, and a nice perch...

We used glow rockers, and marmooskas tipped with spikes/maggots, about 6" to 5 feet off of the bottom in about 20-25 feet of water. We had 2 lanterns going, that may have helped.. We had 4 nice ones on the ice from about 3:30-5 pm , just before dark, but nothing else after on the shiners about a foot off the bottom. most of the action came on the jigs

Anything else do you masters use???

[image]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5dc35b3127cce906d3084e04100000036108AZNWbJq1ZN5[/image]

[Matt Johnson]

Sounds like you're on the right track. Glow jigs tipped with maggots seem to be the ticket right now. I hit the ice in search of crappies on Saturday night and we found our best action to be between the times of 4pm and 6pm. Suspended fish and pretty aggressive. We used size 10 Ratsos and Shrimpos, either plain or tipped with a maggot. Small crappie minnows will work as well, but I've had better luck with maggots right now.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[P.DONA]

Thanks, Matt.

This is my first year really targeting jigging. I"ve icefished for 25 years, never jigged!!

I got a new blue/white glow rapala jigging rap i'm dying to try for walleye, but looks like the ice is about done around here.. That thing glows like a flashlight though!!!

I tried it for the crappie, but they seemed to like the micro jigs better..

[Matt Johnson]

Yep, those bigger swimming lures are not always the best choice for crappies, the smaller jigs are the way to go. Right now I'm mainly using a size 10 or 12 jig tipped with either finesse plastic or a maggot. A single maggot is all you need.

Glad to hear you've conformed to the jigging realm. Jigging is the most productive approach for me, regardless of species. Sounds to me like your starting to develop a system and keep continuing to use the jigging technique and you will see more success.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[Guest]

The one tip I can give is keep the glow jigs glowed up. There are a few occasions that I have done well on a plain hook after dark when they would not touch glow but that is rare. I opt more for glowing every 5 minutes or so. Take your favorite glow jigs into a dark room and hit them with a light. Wait and see how long they hold their glow, there can be a very distinct difference in longevity! My personal Crappie favorite is the Demon by Custom Jigs and Spins when used with a minnow and a Rat Finkee with the Waxies.

[Dan Thiem]

Does a glow jig loose its "charge" faster in cold water vs. room temperature?

[Guest]

Never thought of that one!? Might have to do an experiment on the next late night trip.

[CrappieJohn]

I think temperature plays a part here, but nothing to confirm it. Your color choice will make a huge difference in how long they stay hot. Red is good for 15 minutes tops with a hard charge put on it. Blue and purple are the hardest to get a charge into but last for a super long time. The yellows, greens, and standard glow do the best for charging and strength in long term glow/brightness.

[gman2002]

one other thing i've noticed, yesterday was a prime example. i was on a lake and the bite was unreal, it was one fish after another for about 15 minutes then they would just disapear. the solution ? every time they stopped biting i put on a different color jig and bam there they were again. this went on all day. so dont be afraid to swith colors it seemed something new was all they wanted. another thing, i think u need to relate the size of the jig to your depth also. for instance. i went to a deep hole at sundown, 37 feet the crappies were everywhere from right on the bottom to 15 ft up. but i needed to put on a larger jig to get down there. u know how long a size 10 - 12 takes to get down to 35 feet of water. way to long. the larger size didn't seem to bother them at all, it might have in shallower water though. with that said, was the marcum ever nice in that deep water withh suspended fish

[Gus]

For night time crappies I have had luck "calling them in" as I call it. When the vex goes blank for a few minutes I drop a buckshot rattle spoon or anything with rattles and glow paint down the hole. Jig aggressivly for a minute or however long it takes. It seems to work for me to call the fish in. As soon as they show up on the vex, I'll drop my normal jig down and work them with that. Seems to work pretty good. I've gone out and fished from 7:30 pm until midnight and caught crappies the whole time using this method. Try it and see how you do.

[LuckBites]

Another way to "call" fish is to just reel up fast. to reglow. I've found many suspended fish by reeling up fast and then they seem to show up at various depths easy to target after you have reglowed. In addition to constant reglowing I have found a strong preference for fresh bait. When you see a fish go after your bait only to turn around and head back down I either reglow it or change the bait and usually you can get another follow.

Anyone know where I can find some more of the red glow demons by custom jigs & spins?

It's the time of year for luck to bite!

[Scenic]

There is a tremendous amount of variables in how long or how bright each products lasts. Each manufacture uses a different method. Some of the variables included in how long or bright a jig glows is determined by the amount of pigment per gallon of vehicle, what type of vehicle is used to mix the pigment with, how the paint is applied and what the quality and density of the pigment is to begin with. Phosphorescent pigment absorbs light and emits it over a period of time.

As a manufacturer we can add more or less pigment to our vehicle. We can make Neon Red and Neon Yellow glow for the same amount of time as we can make Neon Blue or Purple glow. However what you would end up with by doing this is a glow that is so bright that you could not get a fish close to it until some time has passed and the brightness has dissipated some. The darker colors, blue and purple for example, do not emit as much light to begin with therefore more pigment can be added for a longer lasting emitting of light.

The testing we do determines how long or how bright we want this product to emit. This testing therefore also determines how much pigment we add to our vehicle to obtain a certain glow effect. Photo-luminescent pigment receives it’s energy from photons or light. It is effected very little with little to no noticeable difference by cold temptures.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Very interesting post Mr Beckwith... I learned something today!!!!

[Captain B.R.K]

OH

[P.DONA]

Excellent advice, you guys!!! I'll be putting a buckshot rattle that's made to stick into plastics on my line, too

I also read on CTF that Mitch puts his jigging rod on the vexlar that acts like a buzz stick

That combined with the rattle is worth a shot

[ivegottabite]

interesting concept with the vex, might be worth a shot

just out of curiousity, would the sun-up/early a.m. bite be just as good as the night bite? i work till 11:30p.m. so i don't get a chance to hit the night bite.

[P.DONA]

In theory, the first light bite would be good, too..

It's Probably be a good idea to hand auger your holes as to not spook them, though, or hopefully now it's warm enough that they won't freeze up

How much Ice do you guys have, now. In CT. we have anywhere from 0" to 5" to 12"..

[iland99]

Ice thickness varies depending on what part of the state you're in. Here in northern MN, I'm very close to needing an extension, and my auger will cut through 42" of ice. I'd say up here we have 36" to 40" of ice. I don't think he'd like augering through that much ice by hand!

[1lkstage]

South central MN ice were I was last friday, was 24" to 16" range.thru maybe 20 different holes in shallow water. I always go with the morning bite.