|
Catching
Crappie under docks
Catching crappie under docks can be some of the fastest and
easiest way to catch crappie once you understand how to do
it. You’ll think your taking candy from a baby after
you discover how easy it is to load the boat with crappie
shooting docks. First of all you must understand that
crappie can be found in large numbers under docks. They like
docks because of the shade and cover it gives them. Docks
also attract food for crappie the same way bridges do.
The best way to catch crappie under these docks from a boat
is to use a technique called shooting. First you need
a 4.6ft – 6ft light action rod with a closed faced or
spinning reel rigged with 4-10 lb line and a 1/16 or 1/32 oz
jig. Then you put out about 3-4 ft of line and use your
free hand to grab the head of the jig. Only use two fingers
and grab the head with the hook facing outwards. Now by
pulling on the head of the jig pull till the pole bends a
little bit, aim towards your target and release the jig
head. Now this is of course going to be tough at first but
if you can master this, you can put that jig up in the
darkest places under that dock. I can also assure you most
fishermen can’t do this therefore that puts you at a huge
advantage. When you get good at this you can shoot a
1/16 oz jig and place it with accuracy under any dock, yes
even the ones with only 4-6 inches of clearance. Another
way I get my jig under docks is skipping it. Just like you
skip a rock, all you do is cast with a little force and keep
the angle as flat as possible. Learning these two techniques
can make the difference between catching none and catching
your limit of nice slabs! Good luck
Catching Crappie from bridges
Catching crappie from bridges is generally an easy thing to
do year around. The crappie holds to the area for several
reasons. The bridge offers the fish cover, shade, food
supply, and year around comfort on deeper bridges. The
average angler will just tie up to one set of pillars on the
bridge and set back with a couple of rods rigged with
minnows and just wait till they bite. That’s fine for just
relaxing but if you really want to catch some fish you’ve
got to move around. I have found the best and most
productive way is to use my trolling motor and work around
each and every pillar, by the time I’ve fished 2-3 sets of
pillars I know if the fish are biting there or not. The
season determines where you start fishing on a long bridge
with lots of pillars. Here in
Texas
it’s not uncommon for the bridges to be ¼ - ½ mile long
with pillars every 30 ft. or so deciding where to start can
be very important. If you know the depth the crappie are at
that time of year just start at that depth. Otherwise fish
the bridge in sections. Let’s say its mid winter so you
may want to start on the deeper pillars. Fish 2-3 sets and
then move down to a different depth and try there and so on.
Just remember deep bridges hold fish year around so unless
the bite is just no good at the time your there you should
catch some crappie. Remember also bridges are just one of
many spots to catch crappie. So if you really want to be
able to catch crappie all the time you’ve got to have more
tricks up your sleeve.
Trolling
What
is Slow Trolling/ Spider Rigging
The slow-trolling method known
as spider rigging has been used for years. It will work on
nearly all bodies of water. Using long crappie poles, the
idea is to cover as much water as possible to find the
elusive crappie.
Loading up
six to eight
rods on the front of the boat allows me to cover a wide path
and have a more stable boat while trolling. With two people
sitting in the front of the boat, the added weight pushes
the boat deeper into the water, stabilizing it. This
prevents waves from constantly bouncing my poles and making
my bait bounce up and down. Unlike white bass fishing or
hybrid fishing most crappie will not hit your bait if it’s
moving fast.
I also have my transducer on my trolling motor and the graph
is up front so I can position my boat over the break lines
of a creek channel by keeping a constant look at my
electronics and making constant adjustments with my trolling
motor. In most cases I am fishing the sides of these
drop offs and by watching my graph I am able to keep my boat
directly over this area.
Gear & technique
I troll with
six to eight
10 foot Proangler crappie poles, each equipped with a
Shimano reel spooled with Stren braided 10-pound-test line
mounted on a Bee-Ready rod-holder system. I usually rig my
rods with two hooks by tying on a swivel and two leader
lines of 12-pound test. The first leader is about 6 inches
long. I run a bottom leader (dropper) of about 24- 30 for
catching suspended fish. my rigs are weighted with an egg
sinker attached to the 24-inch dropper, between the swivel
and the bottom hook or lure. I secures the sinker by running
the long leader through the weight 4 times then attaching it
to the swivel. I favor a 1/2-ounce slip sinker, although I
will switch to a 3/4-ounce on windy days or if I am fishing
deeper than 35-40ft.
Winter is when I spider rig the most, because crappies hold
deeper, and on the edge of the channels, relating to a
break line. Since crappies can be scattered anywhere
along a break line, I think my chances are better when
spider rigging with multiple poles rather than trying to
vertically jig with one rod. When spider rigging an open
bank I will use the trolling motor to pull the boat at a
speed at which my lines are less than a 15 degree angle I
watch my lines carefully checking them at any hint of
movement. I will lift my pole as soon as I detect
anything unusual on my pole. Crappie can hit extremely
lightly and if you don’t lift your line you are probably
missing fish. It only takes a second with the right rod
holders. During the other seasons I don’t troll much
because I am able to catch crappie faster on the many lake
docks and man made brush piles.
I will always troll against the wind, I can maintain much
better boat control that way. If I get hung on something I
can let the wind just push me back and I wont have to
retrieve all my lines and turn the boat around. Good
luck if you try this technique and be patient. At first it
can be frustrating keeping that many poles going at the same
time.
|
