On nights like this, the Hali Jig is a tremendous weapon. With the Hali, the hook is separated from a tiny spoon. The spoon attracts crappies, which are supposed to bite the hook. Tipping the hook with a couple spikes or mousies is a favorite local ploy. But don’t rule out those soft plastics on a Hali Jig. Most of the time, bait has to be natural to be effective. If you don’t hook spikes just under the skin at the fat end of this carrot-shaped “worm,” you’ll be scaring rather than attracting most fish. Since the plastic maintains its shape, this artificial lure is really more natural than the natural bait.

There are some evenings when fish simply don’t want to eat, but they still come cruising through. This is a good time to break out reaction lures like the Li’l Cecil, or the Li’l Mick. The Li’l Cecil is a tiny willow spoon with a tiny treble attached, and a tiny spinner blade that flashes despite all attempts to hold the lure still. One productive technique is a couple short jigging motions over blips 2 feet below the bait. Just jig, jig, jig, and then set the rod down. When the line starts to move, set the hook!

Probably the biggest key to success on Delavan’s night-bite crappies is using light line. Many savvy anglers spool their little spinning reels with 1-pound-test line. I like 10- to 14-pound Berkley FireLine for three reasons: You don’t need as much line to fill the spool; the heavy line is easier to see against the ice; and, most importantly, the heavy line is a much better strike indicator than the most sensitive spring bobber. Of course, a much lighter leader is tied at the business end of your line. Four feet of 1/2-pound-test is just about perfect. A fairly stiff but ultralight IM-7 or better quality graphite jigging rod completes the rig. Although the index finger is placed on top of the rod blank, most strikes are indicated by subtle changes where the FireLine enters the hole.

Of course, fishing for suspended night-bite crappies is a waste of time without good electronics. I prefer the Vexilar FL-18 flasher. This particular model eliminates feedback from others using flashers nearby, while maintaining good target separation. A flasher is the only way to go, primarily because the sight picture is in real time. There is a delay in LCR/LCD units even if the unit is set at the highest scroll speed possible. A guy on the ice with an LCD sonar is a guy in no hurry to return home carrying nothing but an empty bucket.

Such an angler is liable to lament the downfall of fishing on Delavan and the fact that there aren’t any 15- to 16-inch crappies swimming here anymore. According to DNR fisheries surveys -- and a high-tech invention called the ruler -- the biggest slabs in Delavan are 12 to 13 inches, which are respectable fish, but not monsters. Perhaps this is one reason why folks are speculating on Delavan’s decline. Crappies tend to school by year-class. There are still a few slabbers in excess of a foot in the lake. But the DNR survey completed last spring indicated the greatest number of crappies is in the 8- to 9-inch range.