Spider Rigging for Crappie in the summer.

[Bowman]

I would like some info on how to spider rig in the hot summer.
I know to find creek channels, drop offs, brush, trees, etc.
Do they bite all day down deep, or just early and late?
How many rods do you use and do you rig weight on the bottom of line?
I do pretty good spider rigging late winter and spring but have never tried the summer. Any info would be apprecated.

[feelay]

I find them pretty much the same places as in winter. When it's really hot, I prefer to troll cranks. Cover more water and sit in the shade.

[Bowman]

For you that spider rig year around do you catch fish in deeper water in the middle of the day during the summer or just early and late?

[NIMROD]

I quit spider rigging years ago but no two lakes exactly alike. Here we have a shallow lake with little thermocline at times. Low or no oxygen keeps fish from going deep in real hot weather at times on some lakes. We catch fish in shallow bays and suspended along river channels. Depth is relative to average lake depth. Here average depth over lake can be 8' with a few creek and river channels. I have caught fish here in less than 4' of water when it was over 100 degrees outside. Might get better results if you explained what type waters and average lake depth. Not unusual for something to work here and a total waste of time on another.

[Bowman]

The lake average water I fish runs 20' to 30' , the river feeding in around 20' , the creeks I fish up the river late winter to spring if pool is normal the deepest part of creek runs 12'. I catch alot of fish 5' to 6' some as low as 2' during the spring.
I mainly fish the creeks.

[Locator79]

Find the thermocline, start above it, and let the fish tell you where they are. I can catch fish all summer long, throughout the day, I don't think it gets too hot for the fish, more like too hot for me. I've been doing pretty good spider rigging for the last 4 or 5 weeks, but have followed the fish from 8' of water to 20' slowly week by week. I find the hotter it gets, say mid 80's or above, vertical jigging works better (for me anyway). The fish want shade, and food, and once found are very easy to catch.