What Pole is best suited for used with what Technique ????

[Knot2Bad]

Okay I admit it. I got into Crappie fishing because this Bass Fishing seemed to me to be too much expense, too much work and way to complicated if you listen to much to all the marketing. I am getting old and want to keep things simple. Looks like I will need alzheimer's to take care of that. This Crappie fishing is starting to get complicated. I know a lot of what's posted on this site is personal preference. I get that! I also know it will alway be part of fishing, sports of any kind and I will just do my best to cut through most of it.

What I am looking for is some direction as to what poles are best for particular application. From my reading I think I have seen that Long poles say 10 -14 ft are best for spider rigging and vertical fishing brush and structure below 8 ft of water. So what rods work best for trolling, casting and bouncing , shooting docks, bobber fishing etc... How about whats the best option for all around crappie fishing. I am not speaking of Brand names such as Mr Crappie, B&M, Wally Marshal Signature or other known brands. Just what type of rod works best. I don't want to have six different setups if two or three types of rods can give me all the fishing I need. I am guessing others might be wondering the same thing. Thanks for any help

[CrappiePappy]

I think one can make it as complicated, or as simple, as one wants it to be. Who says you CAN'T spider rig with poles less than 10ft long, shoot docks with poles longer than 5ft, troll with only one or two poles, or vertical jig with a short rod ???

I can tell you this ... I've done exactly those very things, and I've had success doing it. Could I have had "more" success, had I used what the majority of people suggest I use for those techniques ?? Who knows ... and better yet, what does it matter ? I'm fishing for pleasure & to put a few fish on the table ... not tournament fishing for fame & fortune.

I have two outfits that are remotely the same (ie - same rod/different reel) ... and I never take both of them at the same time. I generally take no more than 5 outfits with me, and only rarely do I use more than 3 of them (either at the same time or during the course of the day). I have exactly 20 outfits to choose from, that are all dedicated Crappie fishing outfits. I choose which 5 I'm most likely to use, based on the lake I'm going to, and the probable location of the fish (as the season & water conditions dictate). If I have recent, trustworthy reports on what the fish are doing, where they're locating (type of cover, & depth), and what techniques are being used to catch them ... I'll rethink what outfits I'll take, and utilize those techniques (if I'm equipped to do so) or simply disregard the techniques & focus on using whatever technique I can to present my bait at the proper depth & speed.

If I wanted to downsize my arsenal, to say three outfits that would cover most of the techniques that I'm likely to use ... I'd have a 6ft, 7ft, & 8ft spinning rod. All three could be used for most minnow or jig use (tightline, trolling, casting) ... & the 6ft rod would cover my dock shooting, while the 8ft rod would cover any vertical jigging I might do.

There's no law that says only one technique will work at any given time, and there's no law that says each technique has to have its own series of rods/reels, and there's no law that says you have to know every technique in the book (or use them) to catch Crappie. Many are the times I've been fishing & using one technique with success, while watching others use a different technique with the same success. Our equipment couldn't be the main factor, our baits were different, our knowledge level was likely different, and we weren't even fishing the same type of cover .... so that only leaves one thing in common -- we were presenting our baits at the proper depth & speed, under the prevailing conditions. With that in mind ... if I were to remove dock shooting from my technique list, or revert back to how I fished before I even knew about dock shooting ... I'd likely have 3-5 outfits in the 7-8ft lengths, and be casting/trolling/tightlining the same way I did back then.

I have 4rod rod holders on my boat, but never have more than 3 rods in them. None of those rods are over 10ft in length, and never do I have any of those 3 rods the same length. I don't "spider rig" out in front of the trolling motor ... I do it off to the side of the bow, with a rod spread angled towards the front & side. My backseat partner has the same situation. We've had success doing it this way, all the same. When I fish with other buddies of mine, from the backseat of their boat, and they have rod holders ... I still use the same outfits I'd be using if fishing from my boat, and I still catch my share of the fish. And that's while fishing behind a guy using 4 or 5 fourteen to sixteen foot poles, controlling the direction & speed of the boat. But, I'm not there to compete with him, but to be a "partner" in his quest. It also helps me understand the frustration that may come with being a backseater, so that I make adjustments to help give my backseat buddies a fair shot at catching fish when they're in my boat.

... cp

[Knot2Bad]

Pappy, Thanks for taking the time to provide me with your thoughts and a run down on equipment. You're absolutely right about not trying to keep up with what others are doing or saying. As they say the proof is in the pudding. If what you're using works then how wrong can it be. When I was in Colorado we went fishing a John Martin Res. for a change from trout fishing. I took a borrowed rod from a friend to the lake. My gear was a home several states away. I was with a co-worker from Miss. We fished at the dam and were rock hopping because most of the boats were fishing near the damn face and there was large Rip Rap covering the shore line. We observed some of the locals fishing the shoreline. They had caught a few and then left for what ever reason. We saw a chance we gave it a try. It took me several hours of trial and error but finally figured out what the Crappie were looking for or perhaps they just turned it on and started biting. I think they were living right in the rocks. After that we started slamming them. They were all Black Crappie.

Forgive me as I sometimes get anal retentive and over think things. Occupational hazard I guess. As you can probably tell my experience with bass and in particular Crappie is limited. While I am waiting to get out on the water I am killing time on the internet and my thoughts are running with questions, so I search for answers and that brings more questions... Your logic seems sound to me and I agree that its about the fun of fishing and enjoying the time out on the water just as much as how many you put in the live well. I just didn't want to bring a knife to a gunfight so to speak. Some of my fishing gear is already in my boat and I now have dedicated bags for Crappie, Bass and Catfish using the stuff I already had and a few things from the store which will most likely never end. I think my lighter gear will work just fine for Crappie such as my trout rods and downrigger rods that I used for Kokanee. I have also purchase a few 9 ft Crappie Hunter combo rigs that were super cheap buy at Academy Sports ($14.00 ea). Some of my other gear will be better suited for chasing Big Blue Cats which I also want to pursue or just sitting in storage at least for a while.

Still want to get a spider rig set up as it has my attention and intrigues me for some reason or another.... Its similar to a rod rig we used at the back of another boat I had when fishing for Sturgeon. Those were more of a balancing act than rod holder because the bite was so light. I figure I can also use the Spider Rod holder when cat fishing and just need to add a few floor mounts so that I can switch it around as needed.

Till then,

[TnT]

What CP said... Yoy can make it complicated or easy. Thats why I only longline..I am set up for it and thats all I do...Preference has alot to do with techniques.

[Knot2Bad]

Thanks TnT. I got it and just need to get out there... haha

[froggysquasher]

i have a b&n rod thats the super sensitive one that i can feel every single peck on. and for $60 its not bad. paired it up with pfleugar president reel