Night fishing with submersible lights can result in memorable crappie action and full coolers. (Photo courtesy of NEBO Tools)
May 14, 2025
By Alan Clemons
Crappie fishing at night is a great way to feed your fishing passion even during the hottest times of the year, especially across the south.
Throughout the summer, it’s common to see ropes or parachord hanging from underneath bridges, signaling the hot spots where local anglers tie up their boats to fish for crappie under submerged lights; often well into the early morning. It’s considered a summer tradition at many southern reservoirs.
NIGHTTIME CRAPPIE FISHING Fishing for crappies at night can be fun and very productive. If the lake you’re on has lights (on docks, boathouses, etc.), that gives you the option to move around to find a hot bite. Lights illuminate the water, which attracts both minnows and crappies. Insects will buzz around as well, some falling into the water and providing additional noshing opportunities for the fish.
Lighted docks and boathouses make things easier, since you don’t have to haul extra gear. Lights with sensors that automatically turn on at dusk are consistent producers. Fish learn to hang around these nighttime buffets, snacking on the variety of prey they attract.
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Of course, you can’t depend on all such lights to draw crappies. Some may have been installed too high to provide ample light on and in the water. There’s also the chance that a light you’ve fished successfully for several days or even weeks could burn out or be turned off.
This is when carrying a waterproof, floating light pays off. You can float it around a dock or boathouse or a bridge piling near riprap. It opens more fishable water, too. If you know of any brush piles or stake beds in depths of 6 to 10 feet, for example, shining a portable light over them could spark some memorable strings of crappie catches, and even yield some slabs.
I’m a fan of the tidy and compact, green LED lights in the Nebo Submerser series ($29.99–$89.99; nebo.acgbrands.com ), which includes models that produce between 300 and 1600 lumens. They’re bright and submersible to 30 feet. The 300 model, the smallest, operates on three AA batteries. The 1600, which is the largest, has two clamps for connecting to a 12-volt battery.
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This article was featured in the May 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe
