How to pinpoint drop your bait where you want around trees/stumps

[livemusic]

This is about a need for more precise fishing with jigs or shiners. Even with a bobber, or I might need a slip bobber to make this work.

We have a lot of trees and stumps here in this area to fish around and I tell ya, if there is wind, it is tough fishing. That is if you have a length of line out. I primarily bass fish, so, I'm no expert crappie fisherman. But I seem to remember that when I did fish with a pole, I would make my line length a little shorter than the length of the pole. But today, we had wind, and it was really hard fishing. Extremely difficult to put your bait where you wanted due to high wind. Not fun fishing, but I was gonna tough it out, and did, for a few hours. Was easy to get tangled in the tree limbs. I was thinking that you could just have a long pole and a much shorter line, and just stick your rod tip closer to where you want the bait to drop down. Again, I guess that would work with a slip bobber. Anyone know what I mean, and how to do it?

I also have thought of using a spinning rod/reel and I could do kind of a bass fishing flipping technique where you hold the line your left hand and kind of feed the line to the desired spot as you flip it in there. The hook/bait/weight/slipbobber ensemble would stay low to the water during the flip, and you would be less likely to snag on the tree limbs.

It seems you want to get the bait reasonably close to the tree trunk, not 4 feet away!

EDIT: As for using a spinning rod/reel (even baitcast crappie reel), how long a rod is reasonable? Any models come to mind?

[shadboy]

You're on the right track! Many crappie fisherman use exactly the techniques you are describing. Both methods are highly productive and can be utilized with the same rod in back to cast. A 12' rod is about as long as I want to deal with. To me, it seems that rods of much more length than that are too heavy and cumbersome as well as getting tangled in the lay downs. Personally, I keep an 8' and a 12' rigged as you describe. Good luck!

[huntinslabs]

Keep some telescoping poles with only 2'-3' of line tied on em. Much easier than trying to manage 10'-12' of line. Lift the fish and walk the pole hand over hand back to you until you can lip fish. No cork and sometimes no weight, especially using grass shrimp. #8 mosquito hook only with grass shrimp and hold on.

[doggone]

Take one of the string bobber stops and put it on your line,one of the fluorescent color ones...I like the Thill brand. Just slide the knot up and down the line to the depth you want. Then you just hold the knot at the surface and you know how deep your fishin'. Use the distance between your out stretched arms , the distance between your reach with one arm to the center of your chest for another,the length of your arm for another...and so on and so forth.

So I'm bought 6'. So if I hold the jig in one hand I slip the knot up as far as I can reach that is 6ft. If I do that twice its 12ft. If I do it three times that's 18' and once to the center of chest adds three thats 21'....and so on and so forth. Just slide it back down to come shallower.

Get you a good 12 to 14 ft rod or so....put on the slip knot...adjust your weight to keep it straight in the wind....and your in business. Now you just mark them fish on the sonar....set your knot....and hold it right at the water and bingo...your on em...usually best to be just a little over em or right in front of them. They look up more so than down....

You can also rig a slip bobber on that pole and it works real good to...especially for pitchin out a little.

Go catch some fish

[scrat]

There are several different weedless jigheads and hooks that will help with those brush piles also. I have also seen were the wind is bad you can get away with a little bigger corks, line and weights to help get on target.

[Hanr3]

I slip bobber trees all the time.
6'6" rod, and underhand flip cast. In windy conditions I use a river slip bobber. It is thin from top to bottom and doesn't get dragged around in the wind, current like a traditional slip bobber.
I also put enough weight on the line to make the bobber neutrally buoyant. Only takes a little tug on the line and the bobber goes under. Leave the weight about 18" fromt eh hook. This gives the minnow room to move and adds to the action. Drives Crappie nuts.

As for Crappie, they will be facing the tree into the current. Sometimes with there nose right on the tree. They are staying out of the current, however they will jump out to eat food as it goes by.

[GreenLine]

OP, I know what you mean about fishing in the wind. I think what you are talking about is one of my favorite ways to fish for crappie. but it works for bass and even catfish . I use a 12 foot jig pole with a reel. I leave 6-12 in of line out and let my jig drop down from there. I manipulate my line up and down with 3-4 feet of slack similar to a flyrod.

[NIMROD]

I use a 11' jig pole and 1/8 or 1/4 oz jig and tube bait . I want to feel the cover I'm fishing .