not real sure why you would care which bait you are catching them on - just bring them in
Since joining this forum ( which I do enjoy ) I believe next to live minnows,the roadrunner may be the top artificial lure used by crappie chasers.I know there are many lures used,but In my feeble opinion,the roadrunner takes the top spot.
That said,I have had little to no luck with them.I tried fishing them at different speeds,I trolled with them,I fished them bare,and fished them baited,with nary a nibble.Obviously I am doing something wrong ( seems everyone but me can catch with them.
I could switch to a nettle spin ( minus the beetle,and tipped with other various plastics ), and fill the cooler,but put on a roadrunner,and the bite would go dead.im determined to prove the majority correct ( again in my worthless opinion ), that roadrunners are crappie killers.
My bucket list will not be complete untill I catch more crappie with a roadrunner,than a beetle spin
Crappie run hot & cold on the Roadrunners. Sometimes you just cannot keep them off. I never "assume" what they want. Always try different things, as you already have.
"A voyage in search of knowledge need never abandon the spirit of adventure."
I see you did not mention just "straight jigging"! I jig all the time with my RR's and catch crappie with them often. Might I suggest you find the crappie first using whatever lure you like or works to find the crappie. Once you find them, switch to the RR and jig. You should catch plenty. The trick is to find them first. The RR will catch them without a doubt. Of course the blade action is MORE pronounced when retrieving the lure but jigging also provides the "flash" of the blade to attract a bite. Hope this helps.
If you are "filling the cooler" I dont think I'd worry much about it.
I've really only had great days with a roadrunner when the crappie are close to the bottom, like during the spawn. I've had better luck with the beetle spin myself. I think the Colorado blade makes it easier to keep up in the water column at slower speeds. They are almost always good for bass and brim, which usually orient to the bottom. I'm sure the roadrunner works good for those that know how to control the running depth, but it's been easier for me to just use something else.
I never catch much on them personally... I've used them when catching on plain jighead with plastic during spawn and nothing... I took them out of my box lol
I had the same problem with them for a good while. My buddies on my boat were catching fish using them right next to me but i couldn't buy a bite with one. After watching them and talking to more friends, i found my problem. The fish didn't want the size i was using. I fish 1/8th oz ball heads normally so i fished the same size RR. I switched to 1/32 oz on 4# test clear line and now do a lot better. I'm catching both, crappies and gills with them. Try downsizing and using a few diffrent color heads before you give up on them. I was determined to find out why i couldn't catch fish with them while others in my boat fishing the same spot were. I've also found that they work better on some lakes than others no matter what you try.
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