need advice about hook set

[wylie catter]

Ok so I went out today and done my version of spider rigging. I had 5 rods out, and caught 2 fish pretty fast at 12' deep. From then on out I got almost constant bites but couldn't get a hook in them. The rod tip would barely bounce or pull down and the minnow would be gone. Or the rod tip would pull down or bounce and when I would reel it up to check it, the minnow would be dead with a bite mark about half way up its body. So what was I doing wrong in this situation? The water was dead calm today. I did this same thing last week with windy rough conditions and had really good hookups. Do yall think its because the water was so calm and the crappie just had time to hit the minnow instead of the hook? Should I have hooked the minnows different? Thanks for any input.

[feelay]

may not be crappie....gar are hard to get a hook in. Small catfish will also play havoc with you.

[dvuks]

Yellow Bass and Blue Gill also

[wylie catter]

I did catch a big bream and catfish and bass. So is it not normal for crappie to do that kinda biting?

[wylie catter]

Do yall ever hook your minnows through the tail.

[flycaster]

Do yall ever hook your minnows through the tail.

If you do while spider rigging, you will be pulling the minnow backwards, and drown the minnow.

[crappiefarmer]

Sounds like a bunch of gar to me too.CF

[Cmj]

I was thinking Gar too. But if you are sure it is Crappie, maybe a lighter action rod will help. When the bite is light, the resistance of a stiffer rod can cause them to spit the hook before you can get the hook in them. Just a thought.

[wylie catter]

If you do while spider rigging, you will be pulling the minnow backwards, and drown the minnow.

I haven't thought about thet.

[monkscrappie]

If you were on Lake Wylie in NC/SC, it was White Perch stealing minnows. The Catawba chain is full of them.

Monk

Monk's Crappie