This sounds simple enough but there are a few tricks that can make this technique a lot more successful. One of the most important components of this rig is the cork or float and more specifically the size of the cork. It should be large enough to cast well  and be highly visible, yet small enough to allow the lightest bite to be seen. The depth of the jig should be proportionate to the warmth of the water. On sunny days 18 inches to 2 feet is a good depth, on overcast days setting the cork deeper may be necessary.
    Another equally important part of this rig is the weight and style of the jig. During these early pre-spawn outings the water temperature is usually just climbing into to the low to mid 50’s. These pre-spawn fish are hungry yet still reluctant to chase down a fast moving bait. A slow presentation is the key to success.  Therefore, the weight of the jig should be as light as you can possibly use. This allows for a very slow fall once the jig hits the water, which is critical to the success of this technique. If the jig is too heavy the offering will fall quickly past the crappie and not give the fish ample enough opportunity to react and bite. The weight of the jig should not be over 1/32 oz. during this time of the year.
    

Once, during a mid-February outing, my son and I were fishing in a creek arm where the Corp. of Engineers were emptying the warmer water from a duck hunting area up the creek. This caused the shad, and consequently the crappie, to stack up into the creek arm, as we were steadily reeling in doubles back to the boat a nearby fisherman in another boat asked the all to familiar question, “What color are you using?”. Even after we told him the color that the crappie preferred on this day he still experienced only limited success. Although we could clearly see his oversized jig head from our boat, the difference was that his lure was falling to quickly past the fish while ours slowly sank down to the awaiting slabs!

    One more point I would like to touch on is the use of a split shot. I personally don’t use any with the “Cork and Jig” rig and I have a good reason for this. First, the weight of the split shot accelerates the fall rate of the jig defeating the purpose of using a light weight jig. Second, not using the split shot allows me to use the smallest clip-on bobber possible. Also, only clip the line on the bottom of the bobber. This causes the bobber to lay over on its side when the fish inhales the jig during the fall, or when a crappie simply swims up and inhales the jig without pulling the bobber under the surface. We call this a “lift bite”, and it is very characteristic of a larger crappie during this time of year.


    So the next time you are on your favorite crappie lake, fishing for a mess of those pre-spawn slabs, give this highly effective technique a try and I’ll bet you will soon be sitting down to a fantastic meal of fresh crappie fillets!