Looking to catch the biggest crappie of your life?
Spring fishing at night, from when the ice is separating like continental shelves, to the beginning of summer flowers, has brought me the greatest size fish of my life in 2021.
When day fishing (and occasionally night fishing stationary under green light) I became very satisfied with catching crappie from 11 to 15 inches all day, for 4 months, for decades.
However, I just would catch a 16 on occasion (4 or 5 times a year), and never got one over 17.
It was not until I finally listened to an older gentleman, who has fished our lakes his whole life say: “You want the bigger fish? Go when the wind don’t blow and it is dark and awfully cold. You will find them, if you go slow enough, you will see more “Fish Ohio’s and their Grandparents.”
He said: “You will add an inch to all your fish at night. 13’s and 14’s during the day will become 15’s and 16’s at night.”
He went on to explain the flip (day to night) that happens when the larger crappie dominate the upper water and the dinks stay lower. (A 6 inch crappie has a lot more to worry about leaving the brush than a 16.)
If you go painfully slow, and find them suspended above brush, AND STAY QUITE, you can catch them over and over until just after sunrise.
At dusk: The biggest ones are like bucks outside the rut. They let the little ones sacrifice themselves in the field, while they sit back and wait for the deep quite of the night.
Giant crappie are big because they are cautious like a snake, hide during noisy motors and slap happy anglers. They got this way by being slightly smarter than younger fish, and thus have avoided the dinner plate for 12 years or more.
This is now being proven with underwater technology like Live Scope. Anglers knew big crappie had to be around, but now they can see their cautiousness and see them not bite.
They are also more competitive and aggressive in the quiet and stillness of the night. They smack jigs hard. Like a catfish that’s had a poke in the eye.
Well, because of circumstances, 2021 gave my the best chance to do it. And I did.
And he was right!
Tips: (Remember this is my experience and does not represent the best way for everyone.)
1) Move slowly, either by drift or troll. On a single path, I will spend hours covering a mile. Always moving, but slow. Learning every inch of the floor bottom.
2) Allow the fish to follow one SMALL light in the transom area close to water. The bait will follow the boat as you creep along.
To much light does not seem natural. Powerful green underwater lights in clear water spook the bigger girls and boys. Its like shining a bright light at a buck in the field.
Do like you do in a deer stand in the early am. No lights and no sound as much as possible.
3) When you find spawning crappie. Anchor. Work outside in. Take your time. Disturb the left side. Then go to the right, alternating back.
4) Jigs Jigs Jigs! For me they simply get the bigger fish. You will catch more on minnows but they tend to be smaller.
5) Bright lighted bobbers are easier to detect and don’t fatigue the eyes and don’t spook the fish. Watching a red bobber torpedo through the water is exhilarating!
6) Hi vis line and white fishing poles make it easier to see.
And the big one….
7) Go alone! When ever I go with another person we don’t catch nearly as much. It’s still fun and can be just as good as day fishing, but not the best idea if your looking for a trophy fish.
And I think I understand why.
So much less noise. No talking, no fumbling, no snack chat, no loud cell phone conversations...ext.
Kayak fisherman are learning this. They are out in the deep of night when the big fish make the mistake of feeling more comfortable.
8) Start as soon as the ice is off. I have broken through very thin shore ice with my plastic boat at 3:00am, snuck quietly into a back bay to get to the center.
The only open water around will sometimes have the largest crappie of the year. Some will be just under 16 inches and some will be just under 17 inches. They are freaks of nature.
And you can catch these same fish over and over during the warm up to the spawn. After the spawn it becomes more difficult.
Some, you will recognize by their looks, the tear in there mouths, or the bite on their side or fin.
I swear I catch the same big group over and over, and they don’t care because they know I will give them a kiss, thank them for getting big, and then release them.
They also have the safety of moving up into the game reserve above the bouy line that fisherman are prohibited from going.
That is where I think they go during the day.
I still have not gotten one over 17. But I believe some day I will.
Night time fishing has made me a believer. But it has some cons.
Cons:
1) Fog: It is very eerie when 2 of our small boats come close in the fog. Freaks me OUT! Its like ghosts in the night and then you hear a voice quietly whisper “Hey”. (shivers)
2) Coyote’s: Coyotes howling over water feels like their in the boat with me. (shiver)
3) Cold dew: Being on ice cold water with a cold clear night is bad enough on your hands. Then the dew falls making you wet and frosty. Sometimes I think, why am I not in a warm bed with my wife and dog.
4) Wind: Staying out of the wind, is the most important thing.
Wind makes it hard to go slow and keep focused on subtle things. Thank goodness wind dies down most nights.
5) Bathroom time: Morning and coffee make you want to have early movements. Getting used to holding back until you get home can be challenging at first.
6) Pictures: Pictures in the dark just don’t work. They look weird, and you can’t use a flash because it will ruin your night sight for 20 minutes or more. I usually take pics of the sunrise fish to prove I am on them to friends. (The pics you see in my threads.)
However If I get a 17+ I am taking tons of pictures with my check it stik and using a flash.
7) Catfish: Catfish become a real pain. They dominate the night. They will ruin an awesome crappie spot and destroy your tackle.
8) Visibility: Self explanatory. Getting good UV headlamps and using hi vis line saves the night. Easy to tie jigs when the fishing line looks like grandmas yarn.
9) Storms: Cant see storms coming like in the day. When in doubt get off the lake.
10) Safety: There is no one to help you if you go in the water. Hypothermia is real and needs to be respected.
In the pictures you will see what I kept on occasion. I shoot for 12.5 inch clones at night. The bigger fish go back in the lake to catch again another day.
The picture of the black males is telling on how class sizes hang together. Monster crappie do the same up and through the spawn.
Mosquito lake has a limit of 30 and that is what ended up in the cooler.
Other pictures show me taking a friend and seeing him react to catching a 16 inch crappie.
All in all most people are not willing to suffer like a duck hunter to try to catch big crappie. But you can, and you will have the whole lake to yourself to do it.
And once you catch 15’s regularly, you will think 12” crappie are dinks. And 16’s will become your new passion and primary hunt.
D
