Jigging Tactics For Winter Panfish It takes specialized equipment and a jeweler's touch to successfully fool perch, bluegills and other panfish in winter. Our expert explains how it's done. ... [+] Full Article
Before the fish move to the shores to spawn, crappie can be difficult to find and catch. But these tips can make the chore easier. (March 2006)
By Jeff Samsel
Mid-spring attracts crowds of crappie fishermen to many lakes. When the fish move shallow, the fishing gets easy, and anglers show up in numbers to tap into the fast action.
Veteran anglers don't wait for the crappie to move all the way up, however. Instead, they go out during early spring and search in water a little bit deeper, where the crappie stage prior to moving shallow to spawn. During the spring, the fish hold over points or cruise channel edges, often in major creeks or close to pockets off main bodies of lakes where they will spawn. They move up and down in the water column and up and down creeks with changing weather conditions, often moving from stump row to stump row, dock to dock or brushpile to brushpile.
Typically, these fish are deep enough for anglers to set up directly over them and drop jigs or minnows to the fish. Vertical fishing, when done properly, allows you to find crappie -- or at least, cover that's likely to hold fish -- and present offerings very precisely.
THE RIGHT DEPTH
At times, fishing a crappie jig two feet too deep can be little different than leaving the same jig in your boat. Crappie can be extremely depth-specific, so anglers need to figure out the depth range that most fish are using and then present baits effectively at that level. Often crappie all over a lake feed at approximately the same depth, so once an angler catches a few fish, he's taken a significant step in the right direction.
Your search for the right depth can begin a few different ways. If you know the locations of several brushpiles or other pieces of cover, you can let your jigs and minnows show you the right depth simply by working cover with your offering at various depths. More often than not, though, an angler must spend some time watching his electronics, looking for baitfish and cover that has fish around it. If big groups of shad are all 12 feet deep, the crappie are often in the same depth.
Once you've determined the depth of a brushtop or other cover and your boat is in place, one of the simplest ways to get a bait to the proper depth is to measure out line by stripping it against a rod. If you begin with your bait hanging at water level and your rod in a fishing position, you can then strip out line one foot at a time to get it to the intended depth. Some anglers put a piece of tape around their rods, one or two feet from each reel, to ensure accurate stripping.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
One of the most effective ways to increase vertical-fishing catch rates is to fish with two jigs or hooks instead of one. Adding a second offering accomplishes much more than doubling the number of baits in the water, although it does that, too. It allows an angler to learn more about the fish by probing two different depths at the same time and experimenting with different colors and body styles. Also, using two baits adds weight to a rig, which makes it easier to keep the line vertical and under control without the need to use larger jigs.