Meat haul (updated)

[Bartman44]

Nice fish fries right there, good eats.

[The Jigger]

Nice job Jon.Your making me drool. Great job

[taxid]

Years ago I was night fishing over the side of the boat with a lantern on Lake Quacumquasit (South Pond) near Brookfield Mass for brown trout and started catching 13 to 14 inch crappies. I thought the heck with the brown trout I'll take these! My fish finder was going black with suspended baitfish which I suspect were alewives. At least that is what the locals said they were. I also marked some really long and big suspended fish in deep water not from the launch that I suspect were northern pike judging by the marks. I do know the lake produced one over 30 pounds. And a 3 lb. plus crappie.

Fishing for crappies at night with a light is so effective out my way maybe it should be illegal. LOL

[lowaccord66]

Ive been meaning to do the night crappie with the green light just havent had the time.

[stripernut]

Years ago (like 30) I fished on a night out on Pontoosuc Lake from a boat with a lantern hanging over the side and cleaned up with White Perch and a nice Brookie thrown in to keep it interesting... Been thinking I should give that a try again sometime soon...

[taxid]

Night fishing for trout in lakes and ponds can be very effective too for those that don't know. A lake near me used to produce 3 to 4 pound rainbows at night with my biggest at 7 lbs. (State record came out of there at 18 lbs. 8 oz.) Unfortunately the water quality has declined, and the lake doesn't have enough oxygen in the deep water to support them later than about August so they are no longer planted there. The lake now looks like a zoo with so many permanent houses around it, and it's like being in the middle of a carnival on summer weekends with so much boat traffic. Even though it still has large bluegills I avoid the lake in summer.

I stick to undeveloped lakes now of which there are a few.

[bogtrotter]

I know guys on Onota Lake who use the green light during the ice fishing season to night fish for smelt, and have really cleaned up doing so.

I've never tried it myself, though.

[lowaccord66]

I know guys on Onota Lake who use the green light during the ice fishing season to night fish for smelt, and have really cleaned up doing so.

I've never tried it myself, though.

Its been a while since ive done that.

[westernmas]

I know guys on Onota Lake who use the green light during the ice fishing season to night fish for smelt, and have really cleaned up doing so.

I've never tried it myself, though.

Can still be hit or miss.  I did it 2 years ago and we couldn't keep them off our hooks.  This year I managed to beat the skunk with less than a dozen.

[ActiveTrapChecker]

Nice job!

[SHaRPS]

Hell yeah dude!!!

[lowaccord66]

Hell yeah dude!!!

Freshwater flatties.

[SHaRPS]

Exactly lol

[taxid]

Out here they claim the crappies don't taste as good in the summer and the meat gets mushy. I think if they put them on ice right away, or kept them alive until cleaning they would be fine. If I intend to keep fish in the summer I immediately put them on ice.

[lowaccord66]

First haul I let them live in the livewell.  This made cleaning them difficult when I got back.  Second trip I drained the livewells and iced em.  I dont bleed crappies, never had an issue.