Shooting For Crappie

[KILLER]

What do they mean by this?
Is it what type of shot to use or what?

[Deacon]

What do they mean by this?
Is it what type of shot to use or what?

Shooting for crappie refers to fishing by boat docks. You take a short rod with spin cast reel and you sling shot the bait to the back of the dock. I have seen guys actually lying down on the front of the boat shooting the jig to the back of the dock.
What you do is let out a little line / Grap hold of the bait in one hand while holding the rod handle in the other / pull on the bait bending the rod back like a bow / aim and let go while pushing the button. What is supposed to happen is the bait takes off like a rocket to the back of the dock. If you don't push the button the bait will come back and hit you in the eye. It is supposed to be very effective.

[crappieseeker]

Deacon has got it covered, it takes a little practice to get the hang of it though. Like he said, you will hit yourself many times until you get it down, but once you do, its very effective.

[fishinboat]

very effective but i have had a few hooks catch my fingers. (ow) it works well especially where i fish because people dump bait at the docks and they are lighted bring crappie in. i use a spinning real with a 5 foot rod to do it. people think im crazy i know bending that pole and laying on my side but have caught a few in the 1 in a half range this way with sliders tipped with minnows. it works :D

[CrappiePappy]

you know perfectly well what "shooting docks" means ... LOL!!

BUT - for those that don't, and for those that answered with their own particular shooting "method" (and the problems encountered) ... here's some advice and tips to consider.

When using a "spincast" reel - PUSH THE BUTTON and hold it down BEFORE you pull the bait back and "shoot" it ... let go of the button AFTER you let go of the bait, and it's on its way towards the target.

When using a "spinning" reel -open the bail and hold the line by the tip of your finger (between the end of your finger and the first bend).

ALWAYS hold the bait/jig with the hooks pointed AWAY from your fingers/hand !!

Flat sided grubs, Panfish Assassins, and tube jigs with insert heads (jighead inside of the tube) ... will "skip" across the water surface better than tubes with jigheads outside, round grubs, curly tails, and those baits with spinners attached. This "skipping" action will give you several more feet on your cast ... which can be a crucial distance factor, when fish are way back under a dock.

Fish your way up to a dock that you intend to "shoot a jig under". Cast around the outside edges, and the easily reached open areas underneath it FIRST .... and do it from as great a distance away from the dock as possible. Those fish are "hunting" ... the ones schooled in the inner recesses of the dock's supporting structures are "neutral", but can be turned on by the feeding activity of the "border patrol" fish. Even when shooting to those inner spots, stay away from the dock as far as possible. Don't bump the dock with the boat, and try not to send trolling motor prop wash towards the dock.

...............luck2ya ..............cp