Originally Posted by
no1son
Most of my crappie fishing is for lazy or neutral fish. On really slow bites I get better response by downsizing from my normal size 6 jigs to those with size 8 hooks, and then I get more ready takes from fish in that mood. In your case I would suggest dropping down to a size 1 or 1/0, BUT also loosen your drag a touch and/or drop down to a bit lighter tackle. We get regular bonus fish in our crappie fishing up to as much as 15 to 20 pounds that our regular size 6 hooks hold, WHEN the rest of the tackle is balanced to protect it. In the water size 6 holds both big cats, carp and muskies almost indefinitely without bending when balanced with the rest of the tackle. When they fail it is almost always when the fish flops on the shore during unhooking and the lack of water resistance does not cushion the strength of the fish. Size 1 or 1/0 should be strong enough for any size striper or catfish except the real giants, if rigged and played carefully and, of course, if the fish is netted. Sounds to me like you might like to add a "slow bite" rig that is a bit lighter with a significantly smaller hook to your normal set up, not to replace your normal tackle, but for those special cases where that isn't working. I generally do that whenever I fish crappies and then only resort to it at need, but having it available has saved the outing more than once.