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Just wondering,,,, I don't hear much about it if folks do ....Can you fish the Big 4 at night legally? Zi have seen signs at Butla and other lakes that they close at night,,,, but then alive heard they are open,,,,Need more input from the pros here,,,, anyone?
The days use areas are closed after a certain time, but as far as I know all the boat ramps can be used after dark. I'm interested in others responses, I was just reading up on this topic at this very moment. It will be 105 in the shade in another month or so and night fishing would be a lot cooler that's for sure.
I dream about them at nite does that count
It doesn't work very good in muddy water, clear water is best on a dark moon...:fish
Tried it a few times. Caught a few. Mosquitos are terrible. During summer the water is as clear as your gonna get. Shad show up by the thousands. It's something different to try.
Common guys, is it legal to fish at night at Grenada, Sardis or Butla? need some old experienced guys here
Call the ranger office they'll be the ones to tell you all your going to get is I think or I had a uncle that use to do it is about the only answer you will get off a open forum
Yes it's legal, as long as you aren't trying to access the lake from a closed area.
Gotcha,,,, why doesn't anyone fish at night? I never hear people doing it if they do here...I used to fish in Nebraska at night and had good success with Walleye and catfish.... never tried crappie at night,,, any suggestions on how one might catch fish? LIghts? Minnows? Spider rigging.??? Lol
A couple, three, or four years ago, I tired my hand at it. I was fishing at Enid and caught more than my share of mosquitoes.
I started night fishing using glow in the dark baits (that was the cheapest way I could find to get in) shortly after the spawn and did fair. I don't think I ever brought a limit home from it or anything, but if I catch one or two I consider it pretty fair. As the spring wore on, the few I was catching turned into none. Now, I ain't whiny or nothing, but if I'm going to get malaria, I'm going to have to catch at least one crappie. Sooo..
I bought one of them floating lights what's got the Styrofoam around it. I attached that puppy to a twelve foot long piece of pipe and stuck it out away from the boat. I anchored down out in the middle of Long Branch and let the light burn for an hour while I fought the bugs. Lots of shad come to the light and that's cool to look at for a few times, till it gets old. The rules say to fish to the sides of the light for the bigger crappie, but I had the best luck casting a road runner out and retrieving right next to the light. Maybe they followed the spinner in from the dark, I don't know but I always caught the fish pretty close to the light.
I quit doing it because there are easier ways to catch crappie. Those easier ways do not involve whole communities of mosquitoes.
Beer would help after dark. [emoji41]
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And get you arrested on the Big Four!
It's legal to fish at night. Anchor down put out floating lights start fishing. Very easy. Fish with cork and minnow. Or scoop up shad and use them. Works either way.
They do it more around pickwick.
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Just seems so hard to fight the weather during days here in the Midsouth,,,, I can't catch a break lately with wind, rain lately,,,,Heading to Costa Rica this week for some fun in the sun,,, but when I get back,,, It's on like Donkey Kong!
I do it, except I troll for them.
My biggest fish at Kemper, 3 lbs 1 oz., I caught at night.
I fish areas right over brush where I catch fish in daylight. I set out a green light with a noodle floating it and a small battery pack and anchor attached. I set it out at last light and get stuff ready for the dark.
As far as mosquitoes go, thermacell. Period. However, I have found that summer nights tend to have a slight breeze. Never found them much of a problem.
I use hi-vis line, like most. It glows like a rope when my little black light up front is shining on my lines.
I put one of those mini light sticks for catfish on each rod tip. These 2 things, along with the fact that a hand always in contact with my rod holder-day or night (I hate using beads)- allows me to easily troll the area around the anchored night light.
I love it the peace and quiet, slight breeze and I once they settle into summer patterns, I wear them out.
We camped at Water Valley Landing years ago, about 45. As the sun was setting we tied a rope between 3 timbers, hung a Coleman lantern on them. Hung yo-yos from the rope. There was a 50 per person limit, no size limit back then, short fish were returned to the water. When 2 of us caught our limit we returned to camp to let 2 more catch theirs.
Deep Woods Off had just come on the market and we had some 78% deet towelettes from work. No shower, just a faucet and toilet over a big hole.
So were the good Ole days!
A couple of friends of mine tried fish Sardis at night last year. They had fancy green lights and all that stuff and fished hard out of hurricane. Caught a few catfish no crappie. Brought in lots of bait fish and skeeters.
I have night fished for a few years and it seems to change every year. The 1st year we ever tried it all we did is motor out to the very middle of the lake, put out a light and start fishing. Caught them with minnow under a cork about 3 feet. Bait fish boiled in.
Went out next summer and tried samething. Bait fish boiled in but couldn't catch a fish. Tried shallow water, deep water, everything just couldn't ever get on them. Then last summer went out and the samething happened, but this time when the baitfish moved in I dropped the minnow down to the very bottom in about 13 foot of water and we killed the fish.
I have pretty much come to the conclusion that if you call in a huge school of shad with the light the fish are there somewhere just got to try different depths to figure out exactly where.
It's not illegal to drink beer on the water on Grenada lake. Don't know about the other 3Quote:
Originally Posted by Rees Guide
Great Imput guys,,,, thanks for heads up! going to try this as soon as I get back into town,,,
Why this geezer don't fish at night ? We load up the freezer before and after the heat .:biggrin Tried it on Enid several years back . I did it in the fall with some luck in Rotenberry break .I used lights /minnows.Quote:
Originally Posted by Takeum
If that's true, I'm going to have to start fishing Nader!!Quote:
Originally Posted by ragencage
Actually, I don't *know* that's it's illegal to drink beer on the water at Enid, but unless I had somebody with me, I wouldn't try it. I don't think I'd risk operating the boat liquored up...especially at night! I ain't much of a captain sober in the daylight hours.
Yes it is, illegal to have it on board.Quote:
Originally Posted by ragencage
Yep and they write the ticket to whoever the boat is registered too also It does not matter if everyone is sober....it is not allowed on boardQuote:
Originally Posted by Rees Guide
I know it's illegal to have it on dry ground but I've been checked multiple times and never heard a word about drinking a beer or having it on water. is it a lake rule or a law?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rees Guide
It's a law, no alcohol on any of the big 4 Corp lakes.. I can barely remember the days we could go out to Grenada Lake and drink beer legally, even though we was mostly underage then anyways nonono
Well I can tell you that it Is not enforced at all on Grenada. If its a Saturday in the summer ride by the natural beach and have a look at 99% of the people with a beer in their hand.Quote:
Originally Posted by Snubbys
It is a COE rule that will get you arrested if checked.
Its a Federal rule or law on COE lakesQuote:
Originally Posted by ragencage
I know this is off topic and dumb to argue about, but I just called 2 park rangers at the lake and they both said you can have it on the water. They told me it was a rule at arkabutla but not grenada. Also, there's a big difference in a law and a rule. I can't find any literature on the alcohol laws or rules at Grenada lake. Only Arkabutla, where it is indeed illegal, or "prohibited"
On another note, I have heard of folks catching crappie under graysport bridge at night with a light.
Alcohol is not allowed on C.O.E. property . While at Enid, Yalobusha was dry and the only two places you could have it was Bynum and maybe Chickasaw had a few sites in Panola county . C.O.E. . regulations says said "none " allowed. Just because you saw it not regulated , let it become a problem and they will explain it very well . Also Mississippi has" zero tolerance" while(OPERATING A BOAT) boating so drunk has nothing to do with it . MS. GAME AND FISH WILL WRITE YOU IN A HEART BEAT ! Some of you will remember the old days where the natural beach would have 50-75 boats every weekend at plum point . Boats tied up and folks pitching horseshoes. Drinking was the rule of the day . No more . The fact a C.O.E. ranger could write you on the lake property and a sheriff patrol could not made you think it was legal .Most rangers look the other way if it was not visible. They will hurt you feelings when they nail you and then call the state boys and they hook you up also. It pays not to be a "jerk" ! B.U.I . cost about the same as D.U.I.
I got no problems with drinking, I do drink a beer if it's in the afternoon at a farm pond or fishing from a dock at a private lake. When I'm on a Corp lake I'm there to fish not drink, plus not big on breaking rules so much anymore.. LOL. I saw a boat with two out of state guys in March drinking beer on Arkabutla while fishing.. the fact of them sipping a cold one didn't bother me a bit. What I didn't like was when the one guy was finished with his bottle he simply filled it up with water and let it sink in the lake. Snubbys is no snitch, but can often be confrontational, told the guys you can break the alcohol rule I guess, but if you don't mind, please do not litter in our lakes.. got the old icy stare for minute, but didn't bother me one bit.. It would be inconvenient to get a huge fine for possession of alcohol, but mighty embarrassing to get arrested for bui or worse..
Hahahahahahahahahaha! I love it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Snubbys
BigCrappieMax has the same mentality!!!
Personally,,,, not a problem for me anyway,,, I don't drink,,,,, but if I did, I still wouldn't chance it on a lake with a boat,,, Just makes for a bad day....seen way too many boating a accidents when it comes to people, boats and alcohol,,,I grew up on the ocean and have had my share of crazy people and drinking,,,ever seen the movie Jaws?..... Yup,,, those are my people from Cape Cod, Martha's Vinyard was actually the place where they filmed their first movie, I actually helped setup a few of their movie camera boats when I worked at the boatyard... I still remember the part where all the crazies go out drinking and carrying on trying to catch the shark that killed the first person in the movie,,, all they got was a few fish parts out of the Sharks belly, and a license plate...lol...wrong shark dude,,,