Question About Crappie Jig Trolling

[tool]

out.

[jcass]

I'm a crappie newbie but I did a lot of trolling this summer. I used 1/16 oz feathered jigs w/minnows. They were on 4 lb line (thinner line will go deeper than thicker). I always kept my speed at less than 1mph, near .5 (gps). I also kept the boat in a circling pattern and mostly fished on the inside of the turn - thus making the jig go even slower.
Sometimes when the bite was slow, I would put a small bb on the line about three feet up from the jig. THat seemed to help sometimes. Usually my jig was about 6-8 feet deep over 12 feet of weeds. Sometimes on the inside turn the jig would go to the bottom.
More line out equals a deeper jig also. Bigger minnow will stay higher.

[abarkley]

I thought I saw a listing of the different weights of crappie jig heads and the depths that they tend to run based on weight and speed trolled. Does anyone happen to have any insight on this? The last time I went trolling I was pulling 1/16 oz jighead but I could run over 5-7 feet of water and they wouldn't bump the bottom. Based on my GPS I was running between .9 and 1.3 mph. I had good luck with catfish but no crappies. I don't think that my jigs were getting deep enough down.

What is the average weight jighead that most crappie trollers on this board run? I am considered trying 1/8 oz heads on my next adventure.

best thing you can do is experiment with 1/8, 1/4, 1/16, and 1/32 oz jigs coupled with different line diameters and different boat speeds. you'll get the hang of it especially with the gps in hand to control boat speed. you can cover a whole lot of water trolling. to me it's the best way to fish, especially for the weekender who's not out there everyday.

[Barnacle Bill]

If I need to troll faster and still keep the bait down, I just add some split shot. You may need to use a bigger bobber, but it works for me. 95% of my fishing is trolling.

[adamr]

i'm the same way as IBN. if i need to cover more water, or if the wind or current is really moving, i just add a heavier split shot until i get the bait to my desired depth.

[Moose1am]

Go slower. I normally catch more fish when I am going very slow. Under 0.5 mph as read by my GPS unit. I set the Min-Kota Trolling motor on the lowest setting and head into the wind if there is any wind. I motor into the wind and then let the wind push me back over a spot. I can keep the bow pointed into the wind and still move backwards maintaining boat control by turning the trolling motor off and on.

If you go slower your jigs will stay at the proper depth. I normally fish drop offs and sometimes the fish will suspend out away from the ledges. What I do is motor over to the top of the shelf where it's about 10ft to 20ft deep and then set my drop shot rig to that depth. I let out the line until the weight hits the bottom and then reel up a turn or two. You can feel the weight hitting the bottom and see the line go slack when the weight is on the bottom. When you reel back up a turn the line will tighen back up so you know that the weight is off the bottom. Then I motor out to the deeper water and keep the line at the same depth as I had it set. I also can let out the line in 10ft of water until the weight is just on the bottom. I then reel up the line and count the number or turns of the handle to get the bait back up to the end of the pole. I can then figure out how many turns it takes to go 10ft distance. That way I can let out the line by turning the handle of the spinning reel backwards letting the line out one turn of the handle at a time. This sets the depth of the jig. This is critical as crappie may not go down to get your jig. If the crappie are suspended at 10ft and your jig is set to 12ft deep then you may not catch any crappie. But if you set the jig at 10ft you may get more bites and catch some crappie. Even at 9ft they may still see the jig and come up a foot to grab it. Suspended fish are often in a negative mood and won't chase the jigs very far. You almost have to make them mad to get them to bite a jig at times. Minnows are said to work better or tipping the jig head with a live minnow helps. I use crappie nibbles and have had some luck getting suspended crappie to bit my jigs in the colder months of Nov and Dec. Right now the crappie are stacking up off the drops in larger schools.

Line diameter can also effect how the jig behaves.

I really like days when there is little or no wind. Then I can work the trolling motor over a school of fish or a drop off or a submerged tree and stay right where I want to be. I have found that sometimes when the fish won't bite it helps to reel in really slow. Something about seeing the jig coming up from below the fish and going to the surface make the crappie bite. It may just be that I am fishing too far below the fish and by raising the jig up to the level of the fish I get more bites.

Bottom line is fish the right depth and slow way down.

PS. I tie my jig head onto my fishing line with a Palomar Knot and I leave a long tag line to which I attach a Bass Pro Shop Finesse Drop shot weight of about 3/8oz to 1/4 oz in size. These drop shots are easy to attack to the free line. My tag line is about 18" to 12" long and hangs below the jig. The drop shot will hit the bottom first and it adds weight to the jig so that there is tension on the jig and the fishing line at all times. Anything that touches the jig can be felt when using a light weight grapite pole. I also hold onto the pole and watch the tip of the pole to detect bites. I also hold onto the fishing line with my fingers to help detect the light bites. That is why moving around slowly helps. I can detect the bites easier when I am moving. You can fish a tiny jig and still have plenty of weight on the line to help you feel the bites. Sometimes a smaller jig will make the fish bite better.

I know that when casting a jig the smaller jigs have a slower sink rate which sometime helps to catch those shy slabs.

My normal jig head size is 1/16 oz and I at times will use the smaller 1/32 oz size jig head.

I am just now experimenting with the TeeZur Jig heads. So many styles to choose from and so little time.

I thought I saw a listing of the different weights of crappie jig heads and the depths that they tend to run based on weight and speed trolled. Does anyone happen to have any insight on this? The last time I went trolling I was pulling 1/16 oz jighead but I could run over 5-7 feet of water and they wouldn't bump the bottom. Based on my GPS I was running between .9 and 1.3 mph. I had good luck with catfish but no crappies. I don't think that my jigs were getting deep enough down.

What is the average weight jighead that most crappie trollers on this board run? I am considered trying 1/8 oz heads on my next adventure.

[crap-king]

do you need a split shot heavier than the jighead?

[GREENFISH]

Does anyone use multiple jigs or jig/hook minnow combos on the same line (where legal) when trolling??

[jcass]

I just started doing it the last two times I was out. When in weeds, I found it easier to just use one jig. In deeper water I like the two jigs or a combo of bare hook with minnow and jig. I like the idea of fishing at more than one depth and more than one color/type jig to find fish. It has worked for me but I want to refine it a bit.
Here in MI we cannot use a true drop shot rig because of snagging laws, but can use a jig as the bottom 'weight' and another lure/hook above it. The top jig is tied with a Polamer knot and the other hangs below it 18/24/whatever length you want. (We are allowed two 'lures' per line and all the hooks on a lure only count as one. Some walleye guys troll with two lures on one pole with special methods.)
We can, however put a weight below two hooks/jigs if each hook has a short leader of 4 inches or more coming off the main line. Kind of like a perch rig I think. Problem is a crappie mouthing the lure/minow may not put any 'feel' on the line because the 4 inch leader is moving freely.
We have a special way of tieing the short leaders to the main line so they kind of 'stand out' away from the line. In fact, I just tied four of those rigs today, hoping to use them tomorrow.
Like anything else, try different stuff and find what you are comfortable with - but remember laws differ in each state.

[Moose1am]

I think you can use any weight that you feel comfortable with. I like a heavy weight on the end of my line. The tighter the line stays the better I can feel those soft bites where a crappie just sucks the jig into it's mouth but does not move off or shake it's head. Sometimes (Most times) all you will feel is a faint tick on the line. If the line is slack you won't feel anything. Now you can watch the line and see if it moves. Or sometimes the pole tip end sags a bit. I set the hook anytime I think that I even feel something breathing on the line.

Finding a big school of crappie out in the open is hard work sometimes as you have to search for them but when you find them during the winter time they norally will be in that location all winter long. So getting the right bait to them and presenting it to them at the right depth and speed. (Ultra slow) it the key to catching them. Try using live bait when the jigs don't produce. But you may want to get one of those new dry hand's bait buckets or a heater for your boat to keep your wet hands warm and to dry your hands.

I prefer to stick with the jigs as I hate cold hands. I would rather go without a fish than freeze my hands somedays. I know I could catch more fish at times with live bait but I just hate having to fool with minnows and tipped over minnow buckets in my boat. It's just another thing to have to worry about. Beside all my younger days I fished with minnows for crappie and I want to see how good I can do with jigs these days. I see it as more of a challenge and a new learning experience and I like that type of challenge.

do you need a split shot heavier than the jighead?