Thread: Trolling weight ????

I have been fishing Jordan for a couple of years now and doing fairly well (not as well this year as last). But, I have never trolled for Crappie and am not doing well at all in that area. I keep my speed at .5 to 1 mph and am trying both jigs and minnows. What I am not sure about is how much weight to put on, and the best way to rig for trolling. How much weight should I be using and do I put the hook(s) on the bottom of the rig or sinkers on the bottom of the rig?

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks

I troll 2 ways, On the Eno river and when I'm working structure(brush piles,laydowns,bridge pilings,etc) I fish a slower pace, just bumping the trolling moter and keeping the lines almost vertical. It's easy to keep the bait at the right depths this way. Sunday in open water I fished with a steady pull(the first setting on my trolling motor) and cast the lines 20 to 30 feet behind the boat. If the bait is bouncing off the bottom you can increase the speed or reel in some line but I like to keep the bait close to the bottom. You wouldn't think the crappie could catch the bait moving this fast(1 to 1 1/2 mph) but they do, you don't have to set the hook they hook themselves. Gusty winds make keeping a steady speed hard. If the wind is heavy but steady you can increase your speed and fish into the wind. Now I use 1/8 oz. jig heads with a jig body and a 1/8 oz. weight about a foot above that. If you are fishing real shallow you can lose the weight or go to a smaller jig head. I'll leave it up to you to find the hot color but I tip all my jigs with minnows until I run out. You can catch them without the minnow or just a minnow on a jig head. You don't want to use a regular hook because the bait will spin. (big mess and the bait doesn't look natural) You don't want to stop the boat to reel in a fish just keep moving. It can get real fun when you get 3 or 4 on at a time. If you snag break it off because if you stop or slow down you willl get them all hung up. It's easier if you have two people but I fish by myself alot. If things get too messed up just stop the boat and straighten it out. Oh, I usually get the boat up to speed before I make my cast. Of course good rod holders are a must. I fish 6 rods at a time, if they are biting good I use 4. Keep a buoy handy, if you pass a spot where you hook up 2 or more at a time, throw the bouy to the side so you can make another pass. Hope this helps. CK.

I trolled crankbaits Sun. up to 2.5 mph and caught crappie.