glow in the dark slip bobbers for night time crappie?

[MustangJimmy816]

Hi guys! I crappie fish with slip bobbers and at night, I get raped with bugs. Even had bugs fly in my ears and mouth. Its ridiculous cause bug repellent doesn't work. I have a propane lamp and sometimes wear my headlamp. I know they sell LED bobbers( I think they're expensive and don't work to well) but has anybody ever painted their bobbers? I did some research and didn't find much info on it. I'm thinking of buying some water proof glow in the dark paint. Any info or advice for this solution would be appreciated! thanks!

[deathb4disco]

I don't float fish much at night but, when I have, I've used something similar to this:

Mr. Crappie by Betts Flo-Glo Light Sticks | Bass Pro Shops

[Hanr3]

I also night fish and the bugs can be a problem.
The best solution I found is to hang a Coleman White gas lantern about 4' above the boat about 3' of the side off the boat. It really attracts the bugs, kills the bugs, and they fall in the water providing food for the gathering bait fish. The gathering bait fish draw in the Crappie.

I have red LED lights mounted on the bow and cabin area of my 16' deep V mostly for safety. So I can see the step down from the bow to the cabin. The Coleman Lantern provides all the light I need to see everything else.

As for the bobbers, Fluorescent paint works well if you have a light source, like the Coleman Lantern. Without a light source the glow sticks work okay. By that I mean they glow, you can see them very well. However it is hard to tell when they go under water on a light bite. They glow under water too. Which is cool to watch with a fish on.

As for bug dope. The best is 100% DEET. Everything else is an imitation that falls short. IF and WHEN I use DEET I use it in small doses. I put 1 drop behind each ear, 1 drop behind each knee, and 1 drop in each elbow. If the ankle biters are out, 1 drop on each ankle too. I say IF because I rarely use any bug dope. The 8 ounce bottle I have is over 30 years old, still more than half full and has been all over the world. My favorite bug repellant is campfire smoke. I stand downwind of the campfire and let my clothes suck up the smoke odor. It works the best to screw up the bugs senses and keep them away. A third option is a fan pushing air more than 8mph. Bugs don't like wind over 8mph and will leave you alone. Trouble with a deep-V is you need two fans, one for the cabin area (feet) and one for the deck. If you just use one, they will attack at the other. Got enough battery for those fans?

Below is a short video of a night light a buddy uses while Crappie night fishing. You will see the minnow's schooling around the light.


My courtesy lights for safety. Always on at night. They don't draw bugs.


Picture of my working lights and courtesy lights to give you a better idea what the boat looks like on moonless nights.

[try'n hard]

I use little mini glow sticks that replace the stick thingies in my cork. After about an hour staring at them in the dark you get kinda nauseous.....oh and if your using minners and he swims in a circle rotating the cork it looks just like a bite. Makes things exciting!

[outdoorsron]

Hello: I use Thill splash bright slip bobbers. The bobber lights up when it gets wet and when you lift it out of the water they turn off They work great. Non replaceable battery but is supposed to last 36 hours. I'm going into my third season with them and still working great. Waiting for the battery to go dead so I can cut it apart to see if I can replace the battery myself. Good Luck. O - R