# night fishing with lights for crappie



## fish420 (Feb 25, 2012)

anyone have any input? ive only tried it on shore with lanterns a couple times but seen guys doin it off a boat and they were killing it. i wanna try to make my own rig with a car battery and an led light or something floating in styrofoam.. not sure what size bulb to use. or if i should even use a car battery hah if anyone has done this or has an idea share it!


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## FISNFOOL (May 12, 2009)

I use a commercial floating light I bought many years ago. It is just a sealed headlight in a foam mount. I run it on a deep cycle battery.

Nice thing about it is not only does it attract the fish because of the minnows that come to the light, you can use a minnow net to scoop them when you need bait.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

FISNFOOL said:


> I use a commercial floating light I bought many years ago. It is just a sealed headlight in a foam mount. I run it on a deep cycle battery.
> 
> Nice thing about it is not only does it attract the fish because of the minnows that come to the light, you can use a minnow net to scoop them when you need bait.


+1
When I was a kid, my dad used to take us out to Berlin to fish underneath route 224 by boat and we used a floating headlamp. Worked great.

posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


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## drew7997 (Sep 3, 2012)

Here is what i would just for the fun of building something vs buying. 
Grab a 12v track light bulb ( its a 20 or 50 w halogen in its own projector/encasing) art/craft store pick up a foam disc about 12" diameter. Fabricate a mount for the track light to be attached to the foam. Maybe use spray foam as needed. Run your lines from light to battery. 

Lights can be bought in spot or flood. 

Maybe a short t8 bulb converted to 12v using something to seal the ends?

Drew

Sent from my Droid 1

2013:
Common cold - 0
Flu - 0
Sniffles - 0
Bluegill - 0
Crappie - 0
Smallmouth - 0
Largemouth - 0
Perch - 0
Redear - 0


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## fish420 (Feb 25, 2012)

should i use a deep cycle battery or do you think a car battery would work? i have a pretty good idea on how i want to make one but just need the finer details. like the type of bulb and battery mainly. i dont want it to get too hot. i also hear that green is better than white or blue at least for freshwater. i was going to use green plastic on the bottom of my float. fishin fool youre definitely right i saw a guy doing that exact thing from a boat when i was fishing from shore he never needed bait and caught tons of fish. i wanna do it from shore and a boat i have a cast net that im trying to figure out lol


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## fish420 (Feb 25, 2012)

oddly enough this was the ad on my page

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000M15J9O/ref=dra_a_cs_mr_hn_it_P1100_1000?tag=dradis-20"]Amazon.com: LED Light bulb, MR16 20LED 12V Green: Home [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@410Rw8IXkGL[/ame] 

its a 12v led light i think that might be perfect. i just want the brightest bulb possible


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

It certainly does work. I have a setup I like to use. I got an old hubcap, drilled a hole in the center the same size as the one in the top of my Coleman lantern and poked 2 holes at 6 and 12. I removed the lid on my lantern and put it on, an tightened down the nut. I like the hubcap better than the lantern lid because its shinny and about 4" all around bigger in diameter, I think it gets the light deeper. In the 6&12 holes I used a coathanger to rig a small point I could tie a rope too. When I fish out of the boat under a bridge, I use a large c-clamp to attach to one of the steel beams and then I tie the rope holding the lantern to that, keeping the lantern just inches from the water. Move about 15/20 feet away and drop an anchor off the bow and stern. With in minutes minnows will begin to circle, and with in 10 crappie, walleye, catfish and even bass will show up. The best bait I've found to use is a small purple or white jig and twiser tail under a small bobber. Just cast across the light/minnow ring and reel it thru the minnows. I've had nights that I've caught fish in every cast. As for depth of the jig, that depends on water clarity, but usually I start at about 2' below the bobber. I'll make a video this summer, oh and this always works best during those dog days of summer too.


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## fish420 (Feb 25, 2012)

yeah i especially wanted to try it in the middle of the summer on those dead calm nights. do you fish at mosquito alot? i go there all the time. i dont have a boat but i plan on getting one. also i want to make a rig to put the light farther away from the shore somehow when i fish from shore. i know i could hang it off a bridge or something but in the middle of the causeway thats a bit difficult hah. i hear fishing away from all the minnows and schools of fish is where the bigger fish hang out. away from or below the frenzy..


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## gdhuber (Dec 6, 2009)

Use a lantern and a bent piece of conduit to get the lantern out away from the boat. (If you are in a boat)


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## fish420 (Feb 25, 2012)

on a recent trip to lowes i picked up a couple 50w 12v mr16 indoor flood and landscape lights.. didnt notice indoor till i took it out of the bag right now.. hope that wont make a difference as long as i can make it waterproof? i know mr16's are used in artificial pond accent lighting. only thing of concern is the heat.. does anyone know if these bulbs get hot? i was thinking of just sticking the bulb into a 1 1/2" section of pvc and sticking the pvc into some styrofoam to float it on the water... running the wires back to my battery with a cane pole or something. @drew7997 this is pretty much what you said and almost the exact idea i had, i just hope it works. i got all my materials including 50 ft of 14g wire 10 rolls of electrical tape 2 bulbs and the foam discs for like $50. the most expensive was the spool of wire. bulbs were $6 each and the tape only a few bucks. now i need to find a battery.


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## drew7997 (Sep 3, 2012)

Fish, 
you got it. When you want to, the lights can be upgraded to leds. That wire will be fine. Although iI think a bit too thick. 16 or 18 g would probably be better for weight.

The lights get warm enoughto melt snow. I modified my snow blower. 
But not enough to melt plastic or rtv which i used to hold my lights into the pvc housing. 
Drew

Sent from my Droid 1

2013:
Common cold - 0
Flu - 0
Sniffles - 0
Bluegill - 0
Crappie - 0
Smallmouth - 0
Largemouth - 0
Perch - 0
Redear - 0


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## fish420 (Feb 25, 2012)

i have yet to hook it up to a battery but i got my rig made i might post some pics later of the finished product and/or in action.. they wont melt rtv sealant? thats even better i just put some aluminum foil between the pvc and light thinking they might get hot but if it doesnt melt sealant ill just cover them and waterproof it even more. thanks


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