Thread: Longlining Questions?

I long line all year, .8 /.1.0 mph, I use a 1/16th oz jig with a #5 lead split shot above jig around 1foot. 40' feet out equals around 10' deep.MY 2cents

I love crappy fishing, and I love smallmouth bass fishing also, I've never trolled for crappy at night, but I know a guy that trolls for walleye at night and he does alright, so I would think trolling for crappy at night would work, as for getting hung up at night while trolling, use a black light to watch your lines, and use your trolling motor to keep your boat in the safe zone so you don't hit anything or get snagged in bushes or stumps, if your going to troll at night, go to the lake your planning to fish, in the daytime, and lower your trolling motor, now raise it so the prop is out of the water, no press the record button and use the big motor to follow the route you want to troll at night, when you have the route recorded that you like, now come back after dark and get in deeper water until you have all your rods set up and then go to the starting point of your recorded trail and hit start to finish, and your boat will follow that route you recorded, so just set the crude control at 0.9 and watch your fishing lines, and at the end of your recorded trail, make your turn into deeper water then hit the end to start button and fish back over the same trail, and if you like record more than one of your hot crappy spots, and fish them all at night, I have the Lowrance HDS unit and it will let me record 3 different trails to fish, hope this helps.


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Now there's a man using his head for something for than a hat rack

Originally Posted by waterdog101

I love crappy fishing, and I love smallmouth bass fishing also, I've never trolled for crappy at night, but I know a guy that trolls for walleye at night and he does alright, so I would think trolling for crappy at night would work, as for getting hung up at night while trolling, use a black light to watch your lines, and use your trolling motor to keep your boat in the safe zone so you don't hit anything or get snagged in bushes or stumps, if your going to troll at night, go to the lake your planning to fish, in the daytime, and lower your trolling motor, now raise it so the prop is out of the water, no press the record button and use the big motor to follow the route you want to troll at night, when you have the route recorded that you like, now come back after dark and get in deeper water until you have all your rods set up and then go to the starting point of your recorded trail and hit start to finish, and your boat will follow that route you recorded, so just set the crude control at 0.9 and watch your fishing lines, and at the end of your recorded trail, make your turn into deeper water then hit the end to start button and fish back over the same trail, and if you like record more than one of your hot crappy spots, and fish them all at night, I have the Lowrance HDS unit and it will let me record 3 different trails to fish, hope this helps.


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Originally Posted by waterdog101

I love crappy fishing, and I love smallmouth bass fishing also, I've never trolled for crappy at night, but I know a guy that trolls for walleye at night and he does alright, so I would think trolling for crappy at night would work, as for getting hung up at night while trolling, use a black light to watch your lines, and use your trolling motor to keep your boat in the safe zone so you don't hit anything or get snagged in bushes or stumps, if your going to troll at night, go to the lake your planning to fish, in the daytime, and lower your trolling motor, now raise it so the prop is out of the water, no press the record button and use the big motor to follow the route you want to troll at night, when you have the route recorded that you like, now come back after dark and get in deeper water until you have all your rods set up and then go to the starting point of your recorded trail and hit start to finish, and your boat will follow that route you recorded, so just set the crude control at 0.9 and watch your fishing lines, and at the end of your recorded trail, make your turn into deeper water then hit the end to start button and fish back over the same trail, and if you like record more than one of your hot crappy spots, and fish them all at night, I have the Lowrance HDS unit and it will let me record 3 different trails to fish, hope this helps.


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I have tried crappie fishing (longlining & spider rigging) at night with little success. Not sure the reason but I would have thought it would have worked. I have even setup for night fishing with lights to pull the bait fish in and then started troll thinking the bait would help. It didn't work neither. Maybe a few more will try it and have more success.

I have not had much success at night longlining...however, I have done real well spider-rigging w/ lights. Just my observations over the years.

I'd think spider rigging is slower and works. I saw a guy on fishing creek doing that a couple of years ago and he said it works for him. I don't know for sure but I'm not going to even try. I like setting up and catching fish most times, I know that works!.

Great thread, lots of great info that I can learn from and I've been longlining many years.
Something that might help some, if using curly tails like Southern Pro or Kalins, trolling speed under .7 mph will not allow the tails to twist or have a good action. This will result in no bites. The curl or twist of the tail is what attracts the fish.
I have friends that will slow way down when fish are deeper rather than tying on heavier jigs or adding weight, and it never works. Some of them I simply cannot convince otherwise. Very seldom will you go under .8 or above 1.1 mph. I always start at .9 and adjust from there. And I always start with double 1/32 curly tail jigs. Double 1/32 simply outfish a single 1/16 for me in 95% of situations. I am very efficient at tying jigs, so I'm used to tying on 2 at the time after break offs.
If using Hal-Fly type jigs or minnows on other hand, you can troll slower.

I also only fish 4 rods, whether I'm driving or in the back as a partner. I used to do 6 or 8, but I have found that I can catch more with less. Less rods to watch and less tangles. Less tangles means more jigs in the water at any given time. I have a buddy that has a stick steer and fishes 8 on the front (4 off each side). He is constantly tangling his lines and rigging. He fishes 14,12,10,&8 footers off each side, so if he latches on to a big one or has multiple fish on, he ends up tangled with his other lines. He is constantly retying jigs, untangling lines, and trying to drive the boat. All the while, I'm in the back reeling fish in.

You can go slower and get good tail action. Microwave your plastics for 10 seconds and they will become softer allowing the tails to move at slow speeds.

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