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I've been fishing for crappie at night on Pineview for at least 8 years; something I learned about here. But, I've never heard a soul mention nightfishing at any of the other crappie spots in the state; Utah Lake, East Canyon, Holmes Creek, etc.
Have you? DO they? SHOULD they? Did I just create a hypothesis in need of testing?
The way my work is going, I'm getting called in to the hospital in Murray half the night most nights anyway (today is 16 days in a row either on shift or called in.) I may never get up to Pineview. Utah Lake is just a little further on.......
However, I have NEVER caught anything from the docks at AF, Lindon, or Pelican Bay except small pan fish during the summer. Others seem to. Any tips or insights there?
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I've thought the same thing you mention and tried Cutler in areas where I've caught the crappie during the days before and had zero luck in three attempts. But I think the areas I fish are areas that hunting parties of crappie roll through looking for food during the days and I think the pineview success is big pods of crappie hanging out together at night for safety as they sleep the night away.. If food comes to them, they may or may not take it, but the simple fact that the crappie stay there under you in PV is telling me that the fish are not moving around looking for food like they do here.. If I could find a spot where the fish go to overnight hang out, I'll bet they would act the same, but you need to be able to pinpoint those locations and in the shallower lakes that is pretty tough to do... So if you can find them, I'd say it will work, but if you're out just punching holes and hoping the fish will swim by, I don't think that will do any good... Just my thoughts, take them for they are worth... Later Jeff
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Nothing wrong with your thoughts, Jeff.
I've had pretty weird luck with night bites for panfish. Once, maybe 6 years ago in the spring at UL (Pelican Bay) I stayed late into the night dangling little jigs off the boat dock near a pile of washed up tumbleweeds, in maybe 18" of water. I steadily caught nice bluegills, crappies, bullheads, a couple perch, and two 15-16" largemouth. I was COLD by the time I left at midnight, and I've never been able to duplicate anything like it. I foroot about this episode when I mentioned dock-fishing, since I was really fishing a tumbleweed pile.
Most of my ice fishing for bluegill and perch seems to end pretty quick at sundown, but is often good even great in the dark of early dawn.
Was thinking the panfish often seek shelter in the marinas in winter at UL, but have also had the bite end at sunset at the Pump House before. Wondering about Lincoln Beach. They definitely hang deep in Pineview a lot, but I've seen them cruise through suspended, too, again, esp. in early morning.
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[#0000FF]Crappies are a species that is well known around the country for feeding at night. But their habits on any given water are influenced by available food resources.
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[#0000FF]In Pineview, crappies feed on small invertebrates like insect larvae, zooplankton, daphnia, etc. And a lot of times they form clouds just off the bottom after dark. You can see clouds of them on sonar over mud flats at times. And when the crappies come in to feed on them they will hit much better than when they are suspended and neutral or negative.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Crappies also feed on young-of-the-year perch and crappies (cannibals)...when they get large enough. And the little tykes tend to go deep and seek out the aforementioned invertebrates...near the bottom in deeper water. Larger crappies and perch can be caught around the dense schools of these smaller fish. However, perch DO usually shut down after dark, whereas crappies may feed both during the daytime and after dark too. But if they feed well at dusk they may not be active later.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Some of the dense schools you see on sonar are often small fish...3-5 inch yearlings. They will often nibble at your baited jigs but are tough to hook. But when they show up on sonar it gets your juices flowing...expecting a bananner fishing session.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Ya cain't ketch 'em where they ain't. There are usually active fish SOMEWHERE on the lake. If you stay in one place...with nothing on sonar...or if the fish below you are not active...you need to move around until you find the munchers. And it pays to keep changing up your jigs and your baits.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Other waters? Same deal. If the food is there and conditions are right you can catch crappies after dark. In the olden days on Willard, when there were a lot of crappies, I caught crappie under the lights in the harbor at night. And when water clarity was good we would put a couple of bright Coleman lanterns on the bow of a boat and just drift out off the north marina and catch tons of crappies.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Utah Lake. I know a few regulars who catch crappies at night both in open water and under the ice. They have worked out the best places and tactics over the years...but there are times for them too when the fish do not show up or have lockjaw.
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I long ago realized there are two kinds of fishing days: days when they bite like crazy, and days when I'm fishing.
LOL!
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[#0000FF]Nailed it.
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Can you get away with sinking a crib made of pallets in your crappie area to try and hold them year-round?
It would be a fun experiment.
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It’s so shallow and with boat traffic it would be a real hazard so I doubt you could do it now. But years ago the fish and game did Christmas tree bundles and I never caught anything around them, but I’m not saying that they didn’t help just not for me. The old cars that used to line the shores were great for fish but an ugly mess for everything else. Cover does help for sure. Later J
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