Single Pole fishing

[Shine Runner]

I have messed around with this some over the past few years, but have tried to get serious with it this year. Some days they "thump" it pretty good and it is not hard to detect a strike. Other days, only the line will "twitch" or the bait doesn't fall as far as I know it could. Most of the big fish I have caught this year were near the bottom and I never got any indication of a bite. I would pic up to move it or twitch it some for action. Then and only then would I notice it felt "heavy" and set the hook. Sometimes they would feel me before I had time to set the hook. I have noticed that the whites seem to be closer to the bottom and the blacks seem to be holding higher up. The blacks seem to always thump it. The whites seem to be more likely to just suck in the bait. I have tried 1/32, 1/24, 1/16, and 1/8 oz heads in many different bait types.

Questions to ya'll is: What helps you detect a strike? What set up helps you feel the bite better. What baits have you found the fish hit harder than others.

Any other tips you want to post or send me in a PM are welcome.

[Cray]

Shine sometimes they just bite that light. High vis line is a good start.I have them just move the line to the side and can't feel it even seeing the line move. I use braid on just about all my stuff now. Just a couple of single poles still have mono. Just bout a spool of high vis blue Stren Micro Fuse I'm going to try.

[Locator79]

Hi vis line helps, also a rod in one hand line in the other. I don't think the type of bait determines the way a fish will strike, but more so the mood of the fish and maybe the color of your bait. If your not in contact with your bait, set the hook.

[genec]

Like already said ,use line that you can see easy on sunny or cloudy days, after cast let a little slack in line and follow it down, the slack will let you see the tick with out the fish feeling you, then concenstrate on your wind while watching line,you should be able to tell if line is hung on hook or anything that is different than it had been, also if you wander either set hook or lift up on rod easy and if feel any weight you will usually have time to set hook

[20watt]

High viz line and i always fish with my hand forward of the reel so i can fish with the line rune through my fingers

[NIMROD]

I use no less than 1/8 oz on 6 or 8 lb test on a good graphite jig pole. Keep a tight line run under your finger. I always lift up if I can not feel my jig at any time.

[PIGINTHEPIGPEN]

High viz Braid, line on my index finger.

[Semo]

x100 on the high viz line.make sure your jig is parallel to the bottom as well. When the male's are trying to bed the bite is more of a protection bite and is really slow. They will sort of push to jig out of the bed and if you can see your line, you can see it happening and rip lip. Sometime you will miss and you just have to put it right back on their nose.

[Hanr3]

Sometimes it doesn't matter what line or bait you use. It's the location of the bait that makes the difference. If your sticking the bait at eye level, they will suck it in and you may never know. In those cases, I move my bait up a foot or two. Crappie feed up, they look up to eat. They see your bait above them, swim up, grab it, and swim back down. Set the hook. There is no mistaking when they take bait above them.

I use slip bobbers. If my line never gets tight, I try to set the hook. If I have a fish on, I'll adjust my depth accordingly. If no fish, maybe the line got fouled during the cast, or my bobber is starting a fishing line wear in the bead at the top.

[Shine Runner]

Yep. I am hooked! Thks 4 the help.