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You will catch more crappie at night when it's really hot outside. Remember, crappies
are cold blooded. The outside environment regulates their body heat. This means that they don't have an internal
cooling system like we do. They will be easier to catch when things cool down at night when there is more oxygen in
the water.
Now, I am going to recommend something that could be a bit uncomfortable. Bring incandescent lights that
can clip on to railing or the side of your boat. Angle the lights so they reflect off the surface of the water.
The light and the heat will attract thousands of bugs, and you guessed it...baitfish! Make sure you bring plenty of
insect repellent, because you will need it. The little fish swarming in your area are called the "bait ball".
Fish the area outside area of the "bait ball" where there is less competition for your bait. If live minnows don't
work, use a jig. It will stand out.
Sink your underwater fishing light source directly in the center
of the Illumination area. Underwater fishing lights are not a catch all for night fishing. You still need to do
your research about being at the right place to catch your limit of crappie, but with the addition of underwater lighting
you will increase your crappie catch dramatically .
One of the main reasons underwater lighting works so
well to catch crappie is because crappie have a distinct advantage over the "food chain" at night. The "food chain"
is attracted by the underwater fishing lights, but they cannot react quickly enough to escape the game fish.
The reason crappie have an advantage, is because most of them can detect color at night. This creates a distinct advantage
for the game fish over the food chain because not only can they detect change in light intensity, but also color contrast.
It has been known for sometime that fish, shrimp, and insects are attracted to light at night, but you probably are asking
yourself what color is best at night? The answer to this question is the color: blue or green, because they attract
both the food chain and the crappie.
There is commercial underwater lighting that get there power source
from a land based systems, but these systems are used primarily by shoreline land owners and will not be discussed here. When
looking for a quality underwater fishing light, look for the following properties in order: 1) high intensity, 2) emit
its light color similar to the fish's space (blue or green), 3) powered by a portable electrical power supply, and 4)
be submersible. Property number 4 is recommended because land based or boat mounted lights lose a great deal of
their light energy to the reflection off the surface of the water.
Because of the power usage limitations
of halogen and incandescent light sources, I recommend you narrow your search for a good portable underwater fishing light
to florescent types, because their power consumption is a 10th of the power used by the other light sources. When comparing
prices you need to look for the following specifications: The best fluorescent submersible's use 25-40watts of power, and
they emit 1000 to 3000 lumen's per tube. Remember from above, intensity of the light and color are key factors in attracting
both the game fish and the "food chain", so look for these key elements when comparing pricing. The best underwater
fishing florescent light units both blue and green, range in cost between $160 to $200 and go down from there. Keep
in mind, in most cases the cheaper the cost, the lower the quality, and you will be further away from the 1000 to 3000
lumen's intensity. Incandescent lights can be purchased for under $50. The best lights will have a clip to
mount the lights and the end of the wires will need to have banana clips to mount to a battery. The best place to buy
them online is Cabella's.
In conclusion, do your home work when purchasing a underwater fishing light
to be used for night crappie fishing. Remember, cheaper is not always better. Well, that raps up my article...so
GOOD LUCK and GOOD FISHING!
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