Thread: Power trolling

Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine

I run 3 oz most all the time when Power Trolling with two 1/4 oz Russell Gates bladed jigs. The Jig weight doesn’t really matter but I like the bigger hook you can get in the 1/8 and 1/4 jigs.

I’ve used both C&C rigs (weight in the middle) and Kentucky rigs (weight on the bottom). I can tie a Ky rig much faster with a snap swivel at both the top and bottom. I usually tie my drops about 18” apart, but vary that some depending on how deep or shallow the water is that I’m fishing. Deeper water, wider spread. Shallow water shorter spread. I personally can’t see much difference in the style of rig I’ve used as far as catching fish with them. So as of late, I tie the Ky rigs because I can change the weight on the bottom if I choose to (when I want to slow back to spider rigging instead of Power Trolling) without changing rigs, and I can tie them about 3-4 to 1 over the C&C rig.

I also use Fas Snaps (Fas is the right spelling not Fast) on my drops so I can change baits without changing rigs. I slide the Fas Snap on the line and tie them in a loop for the drops. I can change weights, change baits, change colors, and basically change my style of fishing with one rig that way. Saves a lot of time when tourney fishing where time can equal money.

I’ve been Power Trolling for over 40 years now. I actually learned how to Crappie fish by Power Trolling back in the day when we ran 8 oz weights on the bottom with 5 baits on each line. Limit then was 50 a day with only a self imposed 10” size, and we limited most days doing it that way.


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Can you shoot us a pic of the Fas Snap you use and how you use it?


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Originally Posted by JTMavs

Can you shoot us a pic of the Fas Snap you use and how you use it?


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I put them on just like putting a Jig in a loop knot. I make my loops about 6-8” long. You can actually tie the loop without the Fas Snap in it and cut the loop making it a single line drop. The knot will hold fine like that eliminating the need for a three way swivel. When tying the Fas Snap to a single line I use a Uni-Knot.

FYI, you’ll catch a bunch of extra fish just on the Fas Snap itself. It’s amazing that little Fas Snap hook will catch them with the Big hook hanging out of the fishes mouth.

I use the medium or large size. With my failing eyesight, I use the large more often nowadays.



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My buddy Meatgetter sells the Fas Snaps in a 120 package (actually 24 packs of 5 on a card). He’s got the best price anywhere. You can reach him on the AR board or on Facebook. I can also PM you his number.

One more tidbit. I also power troll at .7 to 1 mph using a 1 oz weight on a BnM BGJP pole. I still use the 1/8 or 1/4 Jig heads with that setup. I can also slow this same rig down to .3-.4 for spider rigging with or without a weight change.

I use the 3 oz weights on heavy rods after the spawn and during warmer weather. The fish seem more scattered right after the spawn, especially when you’re seeing the faker males come off the beds to deeper water. I’m not hunting feeding fish necessarily then, I’m hunting for a Reaction strike from the fish. Going fast, I’m not worried about SEEING the bite. When they hit it going that fast, they’ll set the hook themselves and you just snatch them up!!!!!!!


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Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine

One more tidbit. I also power troll at .7 to 1 mph using a 1 oz weight on a BnM BGJP pole. I still use the 1/8 or 1/4 Jig heads with that setup. I can also slow this same rig down to .3-.4 for spider rigging with or without a weight change.

I use the 3 oz weights on heavy rods after the spawn and during warmer weather. The fish seem more scattered right after the spawn, especially when you’re seeing the faker males come off the beds to deeper water. I’m not hunting feeding fish necessarily then, I’m hunting for a Reaction strike from the fish. Going fast, I’m not worried about SEEING the bite. When they hit it going that fast, they’ll set the hook themselves and you just snatch them up!!!!!!!


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Great info bill. You've been the guy to beat on that reaction bite! I'm staying Shalla as long as I can because I refuse to push that much weight.

what size line do you tie the rig with?
Same as main, or 4#lighter?

so, the fas snap is loose on the loop?

I tie rigs with 10lb fluorocarbon line. Main line is 10 high vis or 12 if I am fishing in Mississippi. You could probably do 6 or 8 on rigs if you wanted to. But if you use fluorocarbon line they can't see it so I figure go big.

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I prefer Kentucky rigs everywhere except Grenada: when they really move up into the shallow flats is when I use the C&C rig or a single jig head.

You may already do this, but if not, maybe this helpful (to me) tip will give you more versatility when using a C&C rig: One thing I don't like about C&C rigs is "committing" my rigs to a single weight. If I tie on a 3/8 ounce and then figure out the fish are suspended deeper, sitting just off the bottom, etc., then I would have to re-rig all my poles with a heavier weight to adapt to the conditions. A Kentucky rig is as simple as clipping on a heavier or lighter weight to the snap swivel. Not so on a C&C rig where you have your mainline looped through the weight several times. Of course you could always take out some pre-tied rigs and put on, say, a 1/2 ounce etc., but what if all 8 poles have a specific hook, or tickler spinner, or minner critter, etc that is working well as a pattern that day? That takes a little longer to do: 16 hooks to match the hot pattern. Here's what I do to get that adaptability of Kentucky rigs to carry over to C&C rigs:



Never underestimate the lowly reusable split shot in larger sizes like in the pic. That's a 3/8 oz. "fixed" egg weight, but I added a 1/4 ounce split shot because I wound up having to fish deeper. So in 60 seconds, I had all my poles fishing 5/8 ounce (instead of 3/8). ALSO, the fish were likeing that 1/4 ounce orange road runner with a big chartreuse glow jig and absolutely loving the chartreuse spinner on the beetle spin. If u would've had to re-tie all that into new 1/2 to 3/4 rigs, I could've very well lost my mojo.

That versatility allowed me to put a limit of Nader crappie in the boat this past weekend. Also in the pic are a few sizes of removable egg weights that I'll use to give me the versatility to add weight OR to take it off. With a C&C rig, I usually start off at 3/8 because I can always add weight or take it off (instead of starting with 1/2 or 3/4 oz, etc) and go from there. Try stocking up on some of the removable egg weights and large split shot and start off with a light enough "base" weight like 3/8 ounce. It's much better pinching on 8 (or 4 for COE lakes) split shot or egg weights than it is to re-tie in the heat of the moment when a pattern is beginning to emerge, or to me, at least it is.