Best Time to Use Crappie Lights?

[swamprooter]

I have one of those 4' crappie light tubes.. When is best time to use those? i have large body of private water hooked to Ms River so i can leave it over night if need be. thanks

[digger]

I'v never used 1 but I would say anytime you fish at night,the light attracts bait fish the bait attracts the crappie.If you have a pier or some type cover (brush top) to place it around you might have better luck.Let us know how it work's.

[greenheadgrimreaper]

I crappie fish around a pier that a relative has on his lake. The lake is stocked with magnolia crappie. The pier is about 75 yards long and 40 yards wide with a gazebo and several lights running along side it. I turn the floodlights that illuminate the pier down into the water to help attract fish even more. It's the same concept. Lot's of structure beneath the pier as well.

I have found that the dead of winter and summer are good times because the lights are located out in deep water. Minnows seem to work best but glow jigs work well too. They seem to bite in "spurts". For a little while it'll be fast and furious and then nothing. Some nights the food chain doesn't materialize. You'll notice a lot of plankton and other small critters show up, then minnows, then bream and sometimes bass, etc. You never see the crappie, or I haven't.

I have found that the crappie tend to stay out near the edges of the light. I don't know why.

It can be a fun way to put some slabs in the cooler.