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Thread: Down riggers for Crappie??

  1. #1
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    Default Down riggers for Crappie??


    Does anyone troll for crappie using down riggers? I'm not talking about using large sinkers. I'm talking about the traditional down riggers that are used for salmon fishing, etc. I previously lived in the Pacific Northwest and was a Salmon fisherman. I have some small down riggers set up on my boat and was thinking of using them to troll for Crappie.

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    Haven't done it, I bet it will work!Give it a go and report back.
    good luck and let us know

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    Be safe and good luck fishing

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    RCC is offline Crappie.com Legend and Arkansas Moderator
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    I've never done it, but I guarantee it to work. Lots of people are using a big weight to push crank baits. You would get to fight your fish rather than the weight with a down rigger.
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    M R Dux is offline Crappie.com Legend , 2018 Crappie.com Man of the Year * Crappie.com Supporter * Member Sponsor
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    I tried it some time back and it was a total disaster. They would be OK on a lake/river where you have a constant depth. KY Lake was not that place.

    I think the set-up is going to rip the lips off a lot of crappie from the heavier rods you will have to use.One thing about it, you would have the place to yourself. I just think there are other methods of getting a bait down deep without having to use a 10 pound cannonball.

    Lots of striper guides on places like Lake Cumberland use them for stripers/hybrids but that lake has vast areas of very deep water.
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    I would say this based on my years of salmon fishing with downriggers:

    I am sure it can be done. Like Mrdux said: IF you had a body of water that had an area that did not change bottom contour that often. That being said, here is how I would do it

    Change your cannon ball sizes out for smaller drop types weights. 1lbs to 5lbs. You are not trolling that fast and are not in that deep of water to worry about downrigger cable layback.
    Swap out your traditional pinch release. Crappie are not going to pull it hard enough for you to see the bite. They also won't pull it out of the release. Your jerk to pull free would more than likely lose the crappie. Instead, use a rubber band system (I think Scotty's still makes them). They usually go inline above the ball. If not, I would use a pinch release with a rubber band affixed to my fishing line and pinched in to the clamp. This way you see the fish hit the rod and can release it by breaking the band or pulling the band out. I would also remove the rubber pads from my pinch clamps as you want the rubber band to come out easy.

    I would also run doublers to get another bait in the water. My upper doubler would have a shorter lead than my lower rod. I would use the double pinch clamp, clamping one to the main rigger cable and the other clamp to do the rubber band thing.

    You can go with really light rods as you do not have to put a load on the rod like salmon fishing. All you are doing is taking up the slack and putting a slight bend in the rod to detect the bite. I would also make sure that my rods laid back as apposed to the more straight up position in the rod holder. Scotty's again was known for this design. Less load on the rod.

    Will it work? Hope you tell us. Here in Michigan, spider rigging is not popular simply because our water is so clear. The fish are spooked by the boat. I would bet it would be similar with a downrigger out the back (for here anyways). Good luck
    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"

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