crappie thunder road runner

[Onnie0311]

i have heard that this jig works well but i have no idea how to work it and when and where to use it can anybody give me some tips on using it around stumps and boat docks most of the places i fish the water is around 8 to 10 ft. deep somewhat clear on most days any help will be greatly appreciated thanks.

[shipahoy41]

Welcome from Alabama. The jig you mentioned is a great all around crappie lure. Most people will use the gold blade for stained water and the nickle blade for clear water or sunny days to get more flash in the water. Many will fish the thunder body on a 1/16 jig with no float. Vertical jig it at the depth you want near a stump or brushpils and after a few seconds move your rod tip as if to swim it away. Many times the swimming away can be like a triggering action as the crappie think their food is running away and they just nail it.

If you want to keep it in the strike zone longer and you are fishing shallow water i would use a slip float. This thread may also give you added information on knots as well as deep water rigging.

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/main-...beginners.html

[CrappiePappy]

Ship has made some good points !!

Now, while I don't actually use the "thunder" version of a Roadrunner ... I do use the marabou version, quite often, and I have used it, quite successfully, for over 30yrs. Docks & stumps are prime areas for a Roadrunner, as you can see your target (tree stump, dock post, etc) and make your presentation close enough to it to get a response ... and not blindly drag it into the cover & get it hung.
I mostly cast my lures, and my Roadrunners have a rod/reel dedicated to throwing them. Your 8-10ft depths are just the kind of water depths where a Roadrunner really shines. It's basically the depth range that I prefer to use my RR's in. I mainly just cast & retrieve them ... usually with the rod tip pointing towards the water in front of me ... with a steady retrieve, just fast enough to make the blade spin. I cast, and when the lure hits the water, I start reeling. If I'm landing the lure in shallow water, I raise the rod tip to the 10-11 o:clock position ... to help keep the lure shallow. If I'm landing it in deeper water (>5ft), then I usually just drop the rod tip and start my retrieve.

I don't really "work it" ... I just let it do all the work, itself. The action is "built in" (the spinning blade creates flash & vibrations .... sight & sound combined .... which the predator fish perceive as a live baitfish)

I've had most of my success with a solid chartreuse 1/16oz marabou RR ... but, have had some VERY productive days with solid pink, and with chartreuse/teal/chartreuse.

While my "dedicated" RR outfit may not be the "ideal" outfit for everyone ... it serves me well, and I have more confidence in it than my other outfits. Not that my other outfits aren't sufficient ... just that I'm using this equipment specifically for certain reasons. The outfit is a 7' IM8 Bionic Blade spinning rod - Shimano Spirex 2000 spinning reel - PowerPro 10/2 hi-vis braid. The rod is for casting distance, power (when needed), and it can handle the braid. The reel is for the rear "fighting drag", dual handle, smooth drag, and distance (large spool). The PowerPro braid is for it's no stretch qualities, lifespan, and the ability to bend the hook open, should it get snagged. I don't jerk the rod, to set the hook, like I would have to with a lighter action outfit & mono. When I perceive a fish has hit the RR .... I simply keep reeling, and "pull" the rod away from the direction of the fish by about 1-2ft. The stiffness of the rod, along with the no stretch quality of the braid, is sufficient to bury the hook .... without ripping open a gaping hole, even if the fish is hooked in the lip (which isn't often, as most of the time they're hooked in the roof of the mouth).

There is "something" to the Roadrunner moto (you can't fish them wrong, as long as you fish them slow) .... but, you can fish them "too slow" (IMHO) ... and when you do, you're not getting the full benefit of the spinning blade (because it's not spinning). You're basically just fishing with a jig, that has a metal piece hanging from it, when the blade isn't spinning. IF/WHEN the retrieve speed has to be "that" slow .... I usually opt for using a weedless jighead w/solid body plastic tube or grub, and just swim it back very slowly.

... cp

[Onnie0311]

thanks for the info checked out the knot and rig drawings very helpful once again thank you.

Welcome from Alabama. The jig you mentioned is a great all around crappie lure. Most people will use the gold blade for stained water and the nickle blade for clear water or sunny days to get more flash in the water. Many will fish the thunder body on a 1/16 jig with no float. Vertical jig it at the depth you want near a stump or brushpils and after a few seconds move your rod tip as if to swim it away. Many times the swimming away can be like a triggering action as the crappie think their food is running away and they just nail it.

If you want to keep it in the strike zone longer and you are fishing shallow water i would use a slip float. This thread may also give you added information on knots as well as deep water rigging.

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/main-...beginners.html

[Onnie0311]

thank you for the help i am planning on trying out the jigs one day this week

Ship has made some good points !!

Now, while I don't actually use the "thunder" version of a Roadrunner ... I do use the marabou version, quite often, and I have used it, quite successfully, for over 30yrs. Docks & stumps are prime areas for a Roadrunner, as you can see your target (tree stump, dock post, etc) and make your presentation close enough to it to get a response ... and not blindly drag it into the cover & get it hung.
I mostly cast my lures, and my Roadrunners have a rod/reel dedicated to throwing them. Your 8-10ft depths are just the kind of water depths where a Roadrunner really shines. It's basically the depth range that I prefer to use my RR's in. I mainly just cast & retrieve them ... usually with the rod tip pointing towards the water in front of me ... with a steady retrieve, just fast enough to make the blade spin. I cast, and when the lure hits the water, I start reeling. If I'm landing the lure in shallow water, I raise the rod tip to the 10-11 o:clock position ... to help keep the lure shallow. If I'm landing it in deeper water (>5ft), then I usually just drop the rod tip and start my retrieve.

I don't really "work it" ... I just let it do all the work, itself. The action is "built in" (the spinning blade creates flash & vibrations .... sight & sound combined .... which the predator fish perceive as a live baitfish)

I've had most of my success with a solid chartreuse 1/16oz marabou RR ... but, have had some VERY productive days with solid pink, and with chartreuse/teal/chartreuse.

While my "dedicated" RR outfit may not be the "ideal" outfit for everyone ... it serves me well, and I have more confidence in it than my other outfits. Not that my other outfits aren't sufficient ... just that I'm using this equipment specifically for certain reasons. The outfit is a 7' IM8 Bionic Blade spinning rod - Shimano Spirex 2000 spinning reel - PowerPro 10/2 hi-vis braid. The rod is for casting distance, power (when needed), and it can handle the braid. The reel is for the rear "fighting drag", dual handle, smooth drag, and distance (large spool). The PowerPro braid is for it's no stretch qualities, lifespan, and the ability to bend the hook open, should it get snagged. I don't jerk the rod, to set the hook, like I would have to with a lighter action outfit & mono. When I perceive a fish has hit the RR .... I simply keep reeling, and "pull" the rod away from the direction of the fish by about 1-2ft. The stiffness of the rod, along with the no stretch quality of the braid, is sufficient to bury the hook .... without ripping open a gaping hole, even if the fish is hooked in the lip (which isn't often, as most of the time they're hooked in the roof of the mouth).

There is "something" to the Roadrunner moto (you can't fish them wrong, as long as you fish them slow) .... but, you can fish them "too slow" (IMHO) ... and when you do, you're not getting the full benefit of the spinning blade (because it's not spinning). You're basically just fishing with a jig, that has a metal piece hanging from it, when the blade isn't spinning. IF/WHEN the retrieve speed has to be "that" slow .... I usually opt for using a weedless jighead w/solid body plastic tube or grub, and just swim it back very slowly.

... cp

[skiptomylu]

I like my hand tied marabou best, but mainly like they say you can't fish it wrong as long as you fish it slow. Spring I only use a 1/32 Oz., but that is me. If you buy the store bought RR's in marabou I would put a drop of thinned glue (head Cement or Sally Henson's Hard as nails) near the top of the chenille to keep them from coming apart.

Skip

[gabowman]

Welcome from GEORGIA.

[Eager Beaver]

Welcome from Ne. I do about the same as Crappiepappy, but sometimes I will stop the retrieve for a short pause and let it flare and then pick it up again. It all depends on the mood of the fish. EB

[crappiemike]

I like using the blades in stained water, 3 to 1 fish ratio with them.........


Cm