To You Guys That Pull

[izzysfishin]

Crankbaits, took some pics of some (have a bunch more) of them and some other older baits that were mixed in with them. As you can see i used to Bass fish quite a bit before i came to my sences (still fish for them some). Would any of these work for trolling fo crappie, i've never tried it before. I here everyone mention Bandits, would some of the Shad Raps, Rebels and Bagley DB3s work. What do you think...izzy http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c275/izzysfishin/

[Speck]

izzy, I personally troll Bandits because thats the only crank bait I've ever used for crappie. However, I think anything that looks like a shad would work. I like the Bandits because you can stop the boat to bring in a fish and the rest of your cranks will just float to the top until you get under way again. I'd be happy to troll some with you at the October crappie camp if you're up to it. Speck

[izzysfishin]

Sounds like a plan. I've got 2 of the 4 rod, rod holders but have'nt mounted them on the boat yet (can't decide where to put them yet). I think i'm gonna get 2 more bases and mount them in the back to try it. My problem is i don't have an auto pilot trolling motor, so i guess it's a two man deal or just a couple rods off the front of the boat where i can get at them. I'm clueless. trollin is all new to me. I got the rod holders to try some spider rigging and have'nt got around to that either...izzy

[possum1]

Trolling is the only way I fish for crappie, through the years I have used most every crank I could beg,bum,borrow,steal or buy.lol Almost all of them caught varying amounts of fish, looks like a good selection, use them all, changing frequently so as to vary depth and color and speed, the fish will tell you which ones to keep. Personally while I catch a lot of fish on Bandits,I prefer Norman lures first, Cordell super spots then Bandits, Rebel is probably next. Biggest key is to have confidence, experiment with color depth and speed. Keep trolling you Will catch fish. possum1

[crappiencali]

I usually use Bandits. But last fall I used Rapala DT10's and Bomber fat A's and had pretty good results.

[izzysfishin]

I sat up till about 4am this morning looking at vintage fishing lures on ebay and some other sites. I think i'll put all these away along with the rest in the shed (and not back in a trash bags like they were in) and go buy some new ones. Maybe in 10 more years i'll be rich, i allways thought a vintage lure was something 100 years old not 20 or 30...izzy

[Hitek]

Exacalibur makes a Wee shad that has worked great for me. As for as others, Rebel and Bomber make crankbaits that troll fairly well. Wally Marshall has some too that has worked pretty well. If you do not have an autopilot trolling motor and want to run all the cranks out the bank then use you outboard, if it will idle slow enough.

[izzysfishin]

150 Merc. callshy, don't think i can get it down slow enough. It would probably load up too, i think. I don't like to fish alone anyway though. Was thinking of one in the back with the crankbaits, and one running the TM and watching the graph with a couple weighted rigs with jigs...izzy

[skiptomylu]

I sat up till about 4am this morning looking at vintage fishing lures on ebay and some other sites. I think i'll put all these away along with the rest in the shed (and not back in a trash bags like they were in) and go buy some new ones. Maybe in 10 more years i'll be rich, i allways thought a vintage lure was something 100 years old not 20 or 30...izzy

Man, if you are going to put them in the shed need to keep an eye on them so they don't rust up. Wish I had taken better care of all the old baits I use to have back in the 60's. However maybe rust is not a big issue where you are, but here it's bad and any metal that's not stainless will rust fast.

I have all my baits, even the bass baits that I am not using hardly at all now in the AC so they keep in good shape. Bet I have about 100 or more that have never even been taken out of their packages, LOL!

[Speck]

Exacalibur makes a Wee shad that has worked great for me. As for as others, Rebel and Bomber make crankbaits that troll fairly well. Wally Marshall has some too that has worked pretty well. If you do not have an autopilot trolling motor and want to run all the cranks out the bank then use you outboard, if it will idle slow enough.

I have also had lines tangle in my outboard prop if I'm using my trolling motor to pull cranks. I broke down and bought a trolling plate for my outboard and with it engaged, I can run as slow as I want. Usually I try to keep between 1.6 and 1.9 mph by GPS. When the plate isn't engaged, it makes a darn good hydrofoil.