Can you guys help a newbie crappie fisherman out(trolling)

[leeinmemphis]

Hey guys,

I hang out at billdanceoutdoors some and at bass boat central.....I just found this website through a google search. Looks like alot of great info on this site.!

I have a 17' jon boat with a 50hp Yamaha 4 stroke motor and I am wanting to try to troll some for crappie in some of the area lakes. I have seen those spider rigs that you put on the front of your boat.....is this something that I should try to get and install on my boat? I have pedestal mounts front and rear on my boat. Do they go inside the boat pedestal bracket or what?

As far as tackle goes what do I really need to use? I have seen some of those crappie poles that are 8-12' long and have a little spinning reel on them. Is this what they use on those spider rigs? Also in general is a small jig usually more productive than minnows or do I just need to plan on trying both when starting out? How about line weight?

My family has a house at Pickwick Lake in Iuka, Ms. and we spend alot of time there. It only makes good sense for me to try some different types of fishing other than bass fishing. I'm really wanting to try alot of different fishing methods this year so I'm going to try some trolling for crappie, jug fishing, bream fishing, and some striper fishing this fall so I'm gonna have alot of questions ........I've always just been a bass fisherman so I don't know alot of this other stuff but my wife and I adopted 2 boys last year and I really want to try to share some time with them fishing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

-lee-

[Kokanee King]

That is a good question(s) there. here in Wahington We are limited to one rod so spider rigiing is out of the Question so i will let the experts handle that one, but from what i have learned is that the spider rig rod holders are atached with 3 to 4 screws or bolts. I tend to do most of my tightlining over 15+ water so I can get away with a 6 to 7 foot rod.Some people swear by fishing with minnows but I can't use thoes in Washington either so just use jigs tiped with either a nibble or a "Berlkly Gulp" that maggot ones they work great for trolling and tight lining because they last longer. I hope that you get some better answers but I thought That I might say something.
Ian

[Darryl Morris]

Lee, welcome to the board. I think it's great that you're experimenting and wanting to try new things. Bass fishing is fun, but if you really want to put the numbers in the boat and turn those boys onto fishing, crappie is the way to go.

Here's a link to some articles I've written on my website - http://www.familyfishingtrips.com/News.htm - that might help with your trolling questions. Also, don't forget to go to the home page and register for a free guided trip - http://www.familyfishingtrips.com

[leeinmemphis]

Lee, welcome to the board. I think it's great that you're experimenting and wanting to try new things. Bass fishing is fun, but if you really want to put the numbers in the boat and turn those boys onto fishing, crappie is the way to go.

Here's a link to some articles I've written on my website - http://www.familyfishingtrips.com/News.htm - that might help with your trolling questions. Also, don't forget to go to the home page and register for a free guided trip - http://www.familyfishingtrips.com

Thanks for the help guys. I've got quite a bit of reading to do before I get to the point of buying my stuff for crappie fishing. I'm going to try to get up to speed on the basic setup in the next week or so.....that way I can get my rod holders/rods/jigs/etc all together and setup because the crappie are starting to bite in our area lakes right now.

-lee-

[Dickieboy]

Lee,

Where to start? You asked about so much. I fish all the ways you mentioned except BASS fishing. I don't waste my time on them. Neither my wife or I like the taste. I posted my jug tip on your thread on tndeer earlier this week. Since your house is at Pickwick, catching skipjack there is easy and the ONLY bait you need.

My personal problem with fishing all these species is the tackle not totally universal. Striper and catfish rods are simular as are bluegill and crappie rods. For striper/catfish I have been using a combo I found at Wmart. It is a heavy 6' Berkley lightening rod with a Abu 6500 reel. Runs about $80. For crappie and bluegill I use 12' graphite BnM jig poles. I use a trigger spin and #6-#8 test for vertical jigging and then change to a cheap baitcast style crappie reel for spidering.

I built my own rod holders as I have access to a metal shop. Can send pictures if interested. The black widow holders look real good also. Shilohred has a thread on here that shows pictures of the one he built that looks good.

Between this site, catfish.com and tndeer you ought to get plenty of info. I will post more detailed info depending on you interest and questions. Believe me I am NO EXPERT but have seen and tried a bunch of crap, some good and some bad.

[Ranger690]

I sure would like to help you, but , like you, I have just been bitten by this bug. I am brand new to it, but have high hopes. Good luck to you. I will be posting the good the bad and probably lots of ugly soon. I am ready to get started.

All the best,

Dayton

[fiddlefarter]

Welcome lee. I hang at tndeer as redlegs07. There is a lot of valuable information on here about crappie fishing and boat rigging. I'm sure you can find whatever you need to know. All you gotta do is ask. I been crappie fishing all my life but I like to learn as much about it as I can and some of these guys have some great tips on things my simple mind wouldn't come up with.

If I were you before I went out and threw down a couple hundred bucks on a spider rig and all the rods/reels for it, I'd just buy a couple light rods and reels, some 1/16 oz tube jigs or a bucket of minnows and floats and go out and fish some known stumps, brush and dropoffs. You'll be surprised how many fish you can catch without too much money tied up in it. One very important thing in crappie fishing is a good depthfinder though. I've bass fished a bunch of times (shh don't tell nobody) without even turning one on. But I wouldn't even go to the lake crappie fishing without one.

Also I wouldn't brag too much about being a bigtime bass (green carp) fisherman around here. You know them guys sitting on the channel drops fishing that get buzzed then cussed at close range by bass boats running 75mph. Thats us crappie fishermen. LOL!

[leeinmemphis]

fiddle.....Thanks for the info. I'm hoping to have my boat all finished up this week and hopefully put it in the water this weekend. I'm just trying to expand fishing into other areas and be a better more successful fisherman. I have bought a couple of eagle 320CS graphs for my boat and almost have finished installing them. I should have that done tomorrow. I know of alot of areas that the crappie fishermen fish at Pickwick so I know of a few areas to start with. The main problem is I don't know of any real deep treetops and stuff to try until it gets later in the year and the fish come up shallow....at that point I can catch them off of the bank for a couple of weekends.....but I'ld like to try to learn some new methods for fishing deep and covering water for crappie.

btw I wasn't bragging about being a bass fisherman.....I was just giving a little background. I'm not a die hard fish only one species type person......I want to go out and have a good time and hopefully catch a few fish in the process. take care.

-lee-

[fiddlefarter]

I was just playin' around lee. I fish for bass a lot too.

[LBM]

Welcome Lee

You have come to the right place as these folks have a lot of very good crappie knowledge and are very willing to share. I have discovered that whenever I share my very limited knowledge of crappie fishing I always seem to get more that I give.
Just a warning tho that crappie fishing can be as addictive as crack cocaine so jump right in and go for the high. Once you get hooked you'll find that crappie fishing is a 365 day habit and will discover that the spring spawn just might not be your favorite or best time to crappie fish.
For me winter crappie fishing is the best of crappie fishing. In the winter one can dress and stay comfortable where as in the summer time you can only take off so may clothes and will still be hot and miserable. When dressing winter crappie you will find the crappie meat is more firm and not mushy. Guess one could throw them in ice after catching. Another winter advantage for me is that I don't use minnows. I only use them during the spawn. Another winter advantage is that there aren't as many boats to contend with on the water.
Those folks that winterize their boats in Sept or Oct just don't know what they are missing.
Also you will find it almost limitless as to all the different methods techniques baits and presentations used to pursue crappie.

Go for the fun and good luck fishing.

LBM