Crappie fishing under lights?

[stumpy041486]

hey

im new to crappie fishing and i was wondering if you could catch crappie under lights this time of year? i caught alot this summer under lights and i didnt know if you could do that all year or wat?

thanx

[smedley]

Absolutely, as long as it doesn't get too cold for comfort. I night fish all year as long as I can do it without my teeth chattering.

[stumpy041486]

thanx for the reply....what is the depths i should put lights this time of year?....how long does it usuallly take for the fish to come to the lights?

thanx

[rango]

I set my lights just under the surface. i dont want em any deeper than that to keep fish from wrapping around them. some nights they start hittin right off the bat, some nights an hour or more before any starts hitting, and some nights nothing at all put in the cooler I fish year round, unless the nights are bitter cold. in that case ill resort to daylight stalking

[Crappie Reaper]

yessir, lights work year round. Rango is correct about the light near the surface. The crappie tend to gather just out of the light feeding to the sides, or down below hitting the baitfish that "stray" away from the light.
Good luck!

[stumpy041486]

thanx for all of the replys....what depth should i focus on this time of year?...what lures work best?...live or artificial?

thanx

[smedley]

I agree with the light placement. I use them at the surface for a couple of reasons. when you hook a fish you won't get tangled (like rango said) and I use a green light that makes the tips of my rods glow (I painted them flourescent yellow) so I can see them better. I will sometimes use a light in the boat and shine it into the water.

I use minnows or jigs tipped with minnows most of the time. I like white roadrunner heads with a white twister tail and minnow or a black/chartuese tube with a minnow on a plain lead head. I'll toss a jig under a slip cork and work it slowly back to the boat as well.