Catching bait fish around your lights at night???

[ykkapslabhunter]

Have any of you tried catching some of the thousands of minnows and shad swimming around your lights at night? If so how and what did ya use to catch them. I mostly see shad and if thats what the crappie are there to eat wouldn't those work good just like minnows do?

[eddiebhome]

We find the crappie like the native shad more than their city-fied store bought cousins, the toughie or shiner minnows. If they are real thick under your lights I have used a long handled dip net with about a 1 foot diameter mouth. We've also used a cast net to catch them. We catch the most with a cast net but it's a lot more trouble than the dip net, which doesn't get as many. Last week I ordered an umbrella net to try to catch them under the light.

Keeping them alive has been the biggest problem. They seem to die off pretty quickly, even in our aeriated minnow bucket. So I took a 3 gallon paint bucket and drilled lots 1/4 inch holes in it. I tie it off over the side of the boat and keep the shad there. They do seem to survive longer.

We also find that they don't survive as long on the hook either. We've tried hooking in the upper back just behind the dorsal find as well as through the lips or through the eye sockets. If a fish doesn't hit them within a few minutes we pull em up and swap em out.

[creekslick]

Let us know how the umbrella net works. I was thinking about buying one myself.

[bella]

We use a rectangle net with 3 ft handleIts about 1ft by 2ft. got it at academy. works great no need to cath a bunch cause as stated they die. we catch as needed. Good luck

[skiptomylu]

I have an umbrella just for that, but have not tried it yet for some reason. I will soon, very soon!