When it goes under, or it changes ever so slighty but stays that way constantly (3 sec or so, which is actually a long time in fishing with a bobber lol) whether it be cocked to the side or goes down 1/4" and stays there or lays over sideways...set the hook. Can always pitch it back out there, but a bite missed is a bite missed, bottom line.
well, the thing is, when i got my minner out there, it does its injured and swims, it twitches the bobber and moves it around a little. so i have a bit of trouble sometimes seein the bite.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jekhoff
Sometimes you just flat out have to wait!!! Fish tend to like to swim off with the tail end of the minnow in their mouth, then they'll stop and turn it head first. Lesson sometimes let them take it. But this isnt' an exact science, one must have a feel for it!!!
I do this with Walleye, but with Crappie you will end up gut hooking your Crappie if you wait to set the hook. Any movement of the bobber and I don't jerk the rod but lift up swiftly and turn the handle at the same time. If I miss the fish I haven't moved the bait very far and can let it sit without re-casting. If you jerk and no fish you will pull the bait out of the strilke zone and away from the fish. If I miss the fish I let it settle down and then just give the rod a twitch and let it settle back down as an injured fish after a fish has hit it. jmo EB
Yeap EB, that is true. I fish on a river where crappies, LMB, SMB, and walleyes all like to hangout. I've learned to try and read the bobber. I've lost a ton of fish setting the hook too soon and lost a bunch waiting too long.
Many times i set and watched the cork an watched the cork, only to swat a gnat or something flying around my head, and starte to move the line to another spot an feel the weight on the other end, and with a little whip of the pole bring him in, In the blink of a eye they can have mr. minnow in their mouth and just set there.
well, the thing is, when i got my minner out there, it does its injured and swims, it twitches the bobber and moves it around a little. so i have a bit of trouble sometimes seein the bite.
same with me seems every minnow reacts differnt under the bobber & makes it hard to detect the little nibbles you might be getting.
Like has been said, it depends on the day, but over the years I've seen a lot more crappie missed by people "picking them green" than by letting them hold it too long.
Doesn't matter if you're using a minnow or jig under a bobber, learn to read what it's doing. Sure a minnow will jiggle the bobber, but when a crappie hits, the bobber will jump or make a sudden movement diffrent than a minnow twitch. Set the hook. Watch Russ Bailey's videos of him fishing docks and boat lifts. He uses jigs but if that bobber even twitches, he sets the hook. Works for me.
Fish can come up with the bait or go sideways with it. They don't always make the bobber go down. It may even twitch just a little. If it does anything besides just sit there, set the hook.
If it moves jerk it. Sometimes the bite is lite. I like to use sensitive floats for this reason.
__________________
Feed 'em corn! It will make 'em fat!
When I'm teaching someone to fish with a float, I always say " if you even think the float did something goofy... set the hook. Worse that can happen is you have to cast back out."
__________________
MCCFJ co grand champion and angler of the year
I like using enough split shot to make the cork barely float. With it like this, the crappie feels almost no resistance when they bite the minnow or whatever you're using for bait. It will go under alot easier also. It works!
Linear Mode
