The best fishing on our waters here (Lake Bistineau, Lake Claiborne, Grand Bayou Reservoir and The Red River Waterway) starts in May and lasts through late July.  One of the main reasons is because the wind lays down in May, and when it settles down, night fishing is a lot more enjoyable, along with the reason that it’s much cooler at night.

Right at sundown is when you should start getting everything out and ready to night fish.  People use various types of lighting systems, depending on what they have and what works best for them: lanterns, floating lights, submergible lights, etc.

I like the floating lights because they sit on top of the water and cast a beam down into the water.  They don’t attract the bugs like the other above-water lights but do attract the baitfish.  I would wait at least 15-20 minutes, maybe even 30 minutes, before even trying to drop your line in the water.  If you’re not seeing any baitfish by then, it’s time to pick a new spot.

When it comes to bait selection, I like to use shiners (live minnows).  Leaving home without shiners is like leaving home without your American Express. If I’m jigging in clear water, I like to use a jig tipped with a shiner.  You should try to match the color of the jig with the color of the water.  In a clear lake, I’d go with silvers, blues and whites; if the water is murky, go with orange/chartreuse or solid chartreuse.  River systems tend to have more white than black crappie, so if you’re fishing those systems, white crappie tend to like soft plastics better than hair- or tip-tail jigs. For crappie night fishing, I like to use a light line – no more than 6-lb. test.  As far as the color of the line, it doesn’t make a bit of difference.  I use High Visibility Gold Stren line, but I do it for me, not the fish.

The key for night fishing is optics. If you don’t have a good light in the water, you’re not going to attract the bait fish and that’s the key to catching good crappie.

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“The lights do make a difference with night fishing, as the fish have a keen perception,” Ned says.  “Green lights seem to work well for me.”

Ned also shared his favorite jig colors for night fishing.  Crystal Minnow, Blue Thunder, Red Thunder and Emerald Shad are among his favorite Bobby Garland colors to use at night.  “I like to fish with grubs and small plastics, but I’ll use just a straight minnow too.” 

For lighting, Ned recommends a black light in the boat or on the deck for angler convenience, and really likes the dual ones that allow selection between black and white lights. For a fishing light, he prefers the submergible green lights so he can fish deeper. In the summer, Ned says to fish the edge of trees or down into the depth of the water.  “If fishing at 25 ft., you should put a submergible light at about 15 - 20 ft. and fish below it with a jig. Or you can anchor your boat on a flat and fish brush piles.  In that case, put light down three quarters of the way and drop the bait down into the brush pile and fish the brush pile itself.” 

“You can really improve your fishing prowess by night fishing. The best way to learn the tricks of the trade is to get somebody who’s already done it to take you. I’m confident you’ll find most night anglers willing to let you tag along.”

“I get so many calls and e-mails from people who say they picked a spot in the middle of the lake, threw their lights in the water and then gave up after two hours when they couldn’t catch a thing.  That would be like tying a brush pile to your boat and expecting the fish to immediately migrate to the brush pile.  It just doesn’t work that way. If you dump brush piles in a lake, the fish will come to those brush piles eventually, but it won’t happen within a few hours.  It’s the same way with lights when you’re night fishing.”

Todd explains that if you place a light in one spot on the water every night for a few nights in a row, the fish will make their way to that water, just don’t expect them to rush in. That’s why you should be strategic in where you set up, and patient.

It’s Okay To Be Picky

Choose your night fishing spot carefully.  Todd says that the easiest way to catch fish at night is to look for them in the same areas you’ll find them during the day, or to fish in an area that already has some light hitting the water every night: near parking lots, highways, docks and marinas, to name a few examples.

“A great spot for night fishing is around the boat ramps because the parking lot lights shine out under the water,” Todd says.  “The fishing dock is another good spot because you can find fish there all the time.” He says since the fish are already in the area, use your portable fishing lights to draw them to your fishing spot.

If you don’t have a boat, you can still night-fish from the bank easily.  Anywhere that you catch fish off the bank during the day and have been catching them there every day, it’s obvious that they’re not leaving at night.

“The best advice I can give is to concentrate on areas where there are concentrations of fish.” Around docks and marinas are always good places because the cover, protection and depth tend to attract and hold baitfish.

How Lights Play a Role in Night Fishing

Todd provided us with a scientific explanation of how and why lights are important. 

“During the day, zooplankton* and microplankton* are active. When sun goes down, it all shuts off.  It stops moving and goes dormant, but it doesn’t fall to the bottom immediately – it sinks slowly. Light keeps the plankton active in the top part of the water column, and that causes shad to congregate because they feed on it. When shad are there because they can actively feed, the fish go there because they can feed at night. This is why light is very important for night fishing.”

*(Note: “Zooplankton are initially the sole prey item for almost all fish larvae … Fish species rely on the density and distribution of zooplankton to coincide with first-feeding larvae for good survival of larvae, which can otherwise starve.” Source: Wikipedia).

Success Depends On Your Timing

“One of the very best times of year for night fishing is fast approaching - summer,” Todd says.  “In the spring, fish are scattered because of spawning, but in the summer months, fish are concentrated in certain areas.”

“Ideally, you should set up before it gets dark and have the lights turned on before it gets dark to keep everything in the area going,” he explains.  “As for the best time of night, it really is trial and error, and there’s no exact formula.  I’ve fished from 6 p.m. until midnight but only caught a few and then from midnight until 1 a.m. have caught the rest of my limit.  There can also be a good bite around 2-3 a.m.  It’s just something you have to experiment with.”

As far as water depth is concerned, Todd recommends fishing at depths of 10-20 ft. in the hottest part of summer because the water at top is hot.

Don’t Take Todd’s Light Advice Lightly

1. When you’re using fishing lights, make sure your boat is securely anchored in one spot.  If you’re using a submerged light, be consistent in depth placement – don’t keep raising or lowering it. If you’re in a good spot, within 20-30 minutes you’ll see a lot of shad or ghost minnows swarming your light.  If you’re not fishing from a boat, you can hang lights off the side of the dock. From the boat, dock or bank, floating lights are always a good option because they put light directly in the water. 
2. Fish underneath the light, but don’t get too deep. If you’re fishing in 20 ft. of water and can see your jig down at 3-4 feet deep, fish twice as far down as you can see.  Something else to keep in mind when fishing from a boat or dock – crappie will be directly underneath, so if you’re fishing with a 10-ft. rod, don’t reach way out.
3. When you’re fishing with lights, you have hundreds of thousands of baitfish swarming the lights if you’re in a good spot.  If the action dies, turn the lights off for a few minutes, but don’t leave them off.  You’ll be surprised how the action picks up as soon as you turn the lights back on. The action picks up because when the light turns off, the swarming baitfish panic and take off in all directions.  This causes the fish to get excited and start feeding. 
4. Be patient. Fish can move in and out of areas at night quickly and often. Give your light a chance to work and pay attention to what’s happening. If fishing regulations allow it, put two or more rods out with baits at different depths. Once the preferred depth is located, you can then focus your efforts there.

Good luck!, and let me know how you do – www.toddhuckabee.com.