Night Stalking...cork or no cork?

[CrappieLord]

was wondering what the general opinion was...when night fishing with minners what do you think is best, fishing with a cork/float or free lining it with a split shot?

[Crappie Reaper]

Either way is just fine as long as you can see the bobber. I use a black light when night fishing, and clear blue flourescent line. I use a bobber that is Flourescent. Under the black light, you can see your line and your bobber better than in the day time. It stands out and you can really tell the slightest of hits.

[CrappiePappy]

I always did both. Couple of free line (tightline) poles in front of me, and a float setup, off a ways from the boat. Gives you a wider range of coverage, especially if using shorter rods (<7ft) for tightlining. I don't use pole holders, I just lay the rods on the deck ... and sit close enough to get a hand on them, when a bite occurs. Haven't really done much of this type of fishing (nightstalking), in a few years. Most of my Crappie fishing is done between daylight & dark, and with jigs about 95% of the time. But, I do occasionally use minnows or baitfish ... as a backup, or in addition to jig slinging. Most of those times, especially if drifting around, I'll have the minnow under a float. That allows me a little more leeway, while controlling the boat, so that I don't hang up and drag a rod overboard (while my attention is on boat positioning). When fishing "stationary" (tied off) I still put the minnow under a float ... and cast, or Vertical Cast, the jig. The float gives me that extra second or two, to see the hit and react ... plus, the float gives less resistance to the pull of the fish, than does a rod tip ... especially if the fish are grabbing the minnow and swimming off aways, before diving.
The only downside to floats, is changing depths takes a little more effort & time ... but even that is nominal.
That's "my" way ... but, I'm no expert "nightstalker" ...LOL!! .... luck2ya ...cp

[CrappieLord]

CP,
the tightline and float set-up is just what i do.

a black light??? that is not a bad idea! might have to give that one a try some time.

[rango]

was wondering what the general opinion was...when night fishing with minners what do you think is best, fishing with a cork/float or free lining it with a split shot?

we tightline out of rod holders with sensitive tipped rods. depending on the current or wave action someone in the boat will usually put a lighted bobber out. for fishing the bobbers, the one whos down wind or down current in the boat usually can fish bobbers without a problem. the ones upcurrent or upwind usually dont bother with em since they gonna be pushed down current, and the lines drift back to the boat, interfering with the tight line setups.. some nights, if its pretty calm, then most everyone will put a lighted bobber out. but most all our setups is ultralites tightlined. you can use stiff rods at the boat but youd need to put corks on em since it would be hard to see the bite with the stiff rods. i have taken some guys that use all corks which will work of if they are fished straight over the side and not tossed out. use a slip cork and set the depth and fish em right under the rod tips. tossin that many corks out will create a huge mess in wind or current.

[chef]

I Tightline Out Of Rod Holders. I Use Varying Lengths Of Poles To
Reach The Underwater Light And Past It. The Poles Have Very Sensitive
Tips And Are Painted White. I Just Sit And Watch The Tips. Works For
Me But There Are Lots Of Ways To Be Successful At Nightstalking.

[KARL]

..use both slip cork and tightline/drop shot .....usually put floats/corks on rods away from boat or rods that I'm not watching all the time...............used to use bobbers on all my rods, but got to be a pain in the arse....break line and have to rethread stop,bead,bobbers...yada yada yada.. :D :rolleyes:

[FalconSmitty]

I use a minnow/shiner/shad, a split shot, a red #4 or #2 hook with no bobber. I paint all my rod tips 6" white spray paint and keep a can in the boat for sprucing them up. I have orange, red, and yellow too for jigheads and jigs. just get quick dry.

I can see the tips well night and day white. Even in the day the water is darker than my tips so they standout. Helps me.

With the time changing now is when I start most of my night lining.

If the current is drifting away from my side of the boat I let a cork float out just away from the light. Halloween puts glow in the dark spraypaints on the shelves for the corks. Just make sure you make it a light color because unless it floats in darkness the glow won't work.


Pappy> ya gotta get out there at night again... I'd bet you just forgot how much fun it is. With the new insulated stuff ya don't have to freeze either