August 26, 2008
Trolling for Crappie
While trolling may be considered to be one of the more "boring" ways of fishing for Crappie, it really has a set of advantages all its own.
During the right time of the season, trolling may be one of the easiest ways of finding where the crappie are currently frequenting. At the beginning of spring, when the water is warming up, Crappie are beginning to move closer in shore, typically in waters ranging from 1 to 5 feet deep. The Crappie congregate in large schools and you should be able to catch as many Crappie as you can hold once you find them.
Start your boat upwind about 50 feet from the shore (this may vary depending on the area you are in) and allow your boat to drift downwind. Use you trolling motor to keep your boat headed in the same direction.
The best way to find these schools of Crappie is to try different things. Experiment with different types, sizes, and colors of jigs until you find the combination that works for you. This is a hit and quit approach, if you are not catching fish with one type of rig, then change it. Good colors to start with include chartreuse, green, black/green/blue, and yellow.
You may also try using live bait, as long as you hook then well enough that the motion will not pull them off the hook. If you are trolling slow, you may also want to use a bobber as well. If you are trolling somewhat faster, you may try tight lining or hooking the bait through a jig head, and using them use like a regular jig.
Quite a number of fisherman rig up their boats so that they can troll using a large number of poles. This is where trolling for Crappie can go from a "boring" way, to overloading and overwhelming you. Some even troll with 14 at once. Once you find the combination the Crappie are biting on, be prepared, as several of those poles may get hit at once. I would recommend starting with 3 or 4 poles as a beginner. No matter the number of poles in the water, there is no need to get worried about the Crappie tangling up the lines as this rarely happens. As long as you keep your boat moving, and take your time with each fish you reel in, you will be fine.
Filed under Fishing Bait by Tight Lines
Comments on Trolling for Crappie »
I want to know the best way to rig my line for slow trolling crappie on small lakes??
they make crappie rigs for that.
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There is no "BEST" way to rig.
Just try the trial & error method of learning
good luck & good fishing
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I have really only caught crappies over structure….sunken houseboats……trees …etc.
if you were going to troll for crappies try sassy shad or mister twister tail jigs…..good luck,… anything is possible…
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Try crappie jigs that you can get at any Wal Mart. Tie them on 4 pound test fluorocarbon leader, and attach the leader to your main line using a ball barring swivel. If you use a standard snap swivel your line will get all twisted up. Troll with a slow presentation over structure. When you find one crappie, you'll find more in the same area. Once you find them, turn your motor off and start casting the jigs over the school and retrieve slowly.
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i use 6 pound test with small silver crankbaits.
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Use a small walleye rig or "crappie rig". It has a blade that spins, and some beads finished with a circle hook. Put a splitshot above the leader, and a minnow, worm or leech on the hook.
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slow trolling for crappie is my favorite thing to do on lake wylie in s.c. just tie a jig head on the end of your line and add any tube or curly tail. then put a small live minnow on the hook with it. start trolling and watch the rods go down. just pay attention to the color of the tube or curly tail that they like that day and stick with it. good luck
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Trolling slow on the lake o,k.?
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