When fishing for Crappie at night should I do anything different than I do during the day?

When fishing for Crappie after dark, there are a few techniques that I have found to be extremely successful.  I normally use a braided or microfilament line, a #1 size hook and ¼ ounce sinkers with snap swivels or ¼ ounce jigheads.  A plankton attracting light is an absolute necessity and an LED headlamp will also come in handy.  Crappie fishing at night is best when you plan your fishing trip around the new moon as opposed to the full moon.  The best place to locate the Crappie at night if you’re not familiar with the area will be in the shallows around the dock or close to the bank, the more cover - the better.  Depending on the area you’re fishing, however, you may actually have to hit the deeper areas of the lake.  If you’re going to be fishing in deep water, an electronic depth finder will make it easier to locate the Crappie and will cut down the amount of time you actually spend looking for them.  The biggest obstacle when night fishing is visibility.  It’s extremely important that you’re fishing in an area that you know well or you may end up getting stuck in shallow water or spending the entire night untangling your line.   The most popular techniques for night fishing include slow trolling and vertical fishing.  If you find yourself struggling, just drop a few lines at different depths and let yourself drift until you find them.