Check the Weather and have Patience & Confidence
Professional Crappie Guide John Harrison of Calhoun, MS says, “When the bite gets tough the best thing you can do is have patience and confidence. Don’t panic; if the fish don’t want to bite, you’ve got to do something different. Each day on the lake is different. You need to read the signs early as possible.
The quicker you start to make adjustments the better. You should check the weather reports early on. See how much different the barometric pressure differs from the day before. Pay special attention to weather fronts, wind direction, and barometric pressure readings. Don’t hesitate to make a change in plans. After you make the changes have confidence in you adjustments.”
Smaller Baits, Slow Down and Be Patient
Professional Tournament Fisherman and Longtime Guide, Vic Finkley of Grenada, MS says, “When the bite gets tough, you’ve got to slow-it-down. A tough bite is caused by several factors, most notably weather conditions. I like to adjust to smaller baits. I go to a smaller jig and / or minnow.
This makes a big difference when the fish are lethargic or sluggish. They just don’t want to chase big baits during certain conditions. If you know the fish are there be patient and stay there. If you think they’ve moved, don’t hesitate to pick up and try another area; once you move, have patience and don’t second-guess yourself.”
Hi-Vis Line, Go from Deep to Shallow, and Slow Down
Longtime Guide and Tournament Fisherman, David Thornton and his Professional Tournament partner Shelton Culpepper of Eagle Lake, MS says, “We’ve seen days where you couldn’t buy a bite. You could show them every size minnow, jig, or a combination of both. Nothing seems to work. We’ve moved as many as 10 times in one morning to no avail. However, when we slowed down and went shallow the bite improved. A change in weather conditions can make fish non-active. No matter what you put in their face they swim right past it. Having the patience to wait them out can make all the difference.”
“Another tip we’ve use during these times is to use Hi-Vis line and we watch our lines closely. Our focus is on the line and the pole tip. If we see it do anything, we set the hook instantly. When the fish are sluggish they will not bite hard. You’ve got to detect the soft bite. Hi-vis line lets us see the line and the bite much better than clear line. We also paint our pole tips a florescent orange or chartreuse glow. This helps us old men with weak eyesight see any pole tip movement. It helps tremendously early morning”, says David.
Long Limber Poles
B’n’M Pro Staff Manager and Professional Tournament Angler, Kent Driscoll of Nashville, TN says, “Tough bites are common during the spring when fronts move thru overnight. The number one adjustment I make during those times is to use B’n’M 16’ BGJP Poles. They get the bait futher out from the boat, eliminating the boat and trolling motor noise that spooks sluggish fish. The BGJP’s have a two-fold advantage. The longer pole has excellent absorption that helps eliminate the bait bounce in windy weather, it’s got excellent balance with a good rod seat and with single-foot Dyna-Flow guides that are lighter and more durable. This pole will put more fish in the boat on slow bite days. However, you must focus your attention on the line and the tip. When the bite is soft this pole tip telegraphs the bite a lot better than other stiff tipped poles.”
Slow Presentation and Be Patient
Jeremy Aldridge and his partner, Clint Egbert from Batesville, MS; two of the hottest young anglers on the professional circuit and 2015 MCC Points Champions says, “I’ve pulled up to the ramp and hear a friend say it’s no use in going out, they’re just not biting. Some of those days have been the absolute best days I’ve ever had on the water; mainly because I was patient and used a slow presentation. I have held a jig in their face so long it felt like I was a bird dog on point. Then out of nowhere a fish hit the jig so hard that the reel will bark. Most people fished right thru the area all day using a fast presentation; if they would have slowed down they would have had the same results.”
“Most anglers fish too fast on a slow bite day. They rushed to get to the next spot too quickly, thus passing over catchable fish. Patience is the key to catching lethargic fish any day you’re on the water”, says Aldridge.
“Another important tool we employ is the Silent Stalker. It’s a device that covers the front of front of our boat that eliminates the wave slap that spooks fish. We fish with close proximity of brushpiles and stumps, you have to be very quiet or you’ll spook the fish. The Silent Stalker eliminates this noise completely”, says Egbert.
Lighter Line, Weights, and Slow Down
Brad Taylor, Magnolia Crappie Club President and Professional Tournament Angler says, “I use B’n’M Capps and Coleman Minnow Rigs for slow trolling. When times get tough, I use lighter line and a ¼ oz. Minnow Rig. I like the minnow rigs because they’re so convenient; they come pre-rigged with light wire hooks that can be cut off and a jig added. When I hang-up, I grab the line and pull causing the light wire hook to straighten. I then bend it back into place and continue fishing.”
“I downsize my line to lighter 6 pound test to get more bites. The number one thing I would like to stress is concentration on your pole tips and the line; when the bite is slow you have to make every bite count. You’ve got to hook the fish that bite and land the fish you hook. I also use a long handle net to reach the fish. On slow days the fish barely bite; I need to reach the fish quickly because the fish is usually in the corner of its mouth. It doesn’t take but a little force to pull the hook completely out of its mouth. I try to get a net under the fish as soon as soon as it reaches the top of the water”, says Taylor.
Electronics, Fish Tight to Cover, and Electronics
Bobby Garland Pro Staffer, Brad Chappell (right) says, “My electronics (Lowrance HDS 12 Touch) are my underwater eyes. I mean I would be absolutely and positively lost without my electronics. I’ve learned to use it to dissect a lake. It’s the perfect tool to use when the fishing gets tough. It can tell you where the fish are located. On days when a front has changed the bite I side-scan intensely. The majority of the time I find them holding close to cover. I mean if it’s a top or brushpile, it’s not uncommon to see them buried deep inside the cover. I said cover not structure. There’s a difference; structure consists of ledges, channels, drop-off’s or ditches. I’ll fish structure but the majority of the catchable fish will relate to cover. I like to rig a Bobby Garland Baby Shad on a weedless jig and drop it down into a brushpile and let it bump the brush. This will trigger strikes almost instantly.”
“Both you and your partner need to understand and watch the electronics closely. He can help you keep an eye on things; 4 eyes are better than 2 when it comes to watching the electronics. You need help paying special attention to contour lines, water temperature, cover and concentrations of bait. Any depthfinder with CHIRP technology will offer the kind of target separation necessary for you to see baitfish within a laydown or brushpile. Last but not least, did I mention you need to rely heavily upon your electronics”, says Chappell.
Go Light, Go With the Wind, and Slow Down
According to Rabbit Rogers, the Best Jig Fisherman in the World, “You're in a tournament and things are not going good, time is flying by. What are the options at your disposal? Do you change tactics or move? More times than not you move and keep the same tactics.”
“Pat and I rely heavily on minnows. We use plain hooks, home-made critters, jigs, and roadrunners. We are not locked down to one location unless it's out of the wind and we're catching fish. We don't long-line or power troll. We drift-fish or jig structure so we have to find places out of the wind. If we can't get out of the wind and the 14 ft. B'n'M Pro Staff Trollers are bouncing, we go with the wind and use log chains to slow the boat. We switch to 12 ft. B'n'M Brush Cutters with light weights, light jigs, critters and slow the boat to a crawl. We hand hold 12 ft. B'n'M Sam Heaton's rigged with jigs”, according to Rabbit.
Slow Your Roll, Downsize, and Move if Necessary
CrappieMasters Tournament Pro, Terry Stewart says, “The main thing I do is keep a positive attitude. Fishing during high-pressure on a blue-bird day can be extremely tough, but if you can figure out the right combination you can catch fish. When I figured out the right combination I’ve caught good fish. Cold fronts, heavy rains, and high-pressure causes the fish to become inactive; you would be too. You couldn’t eat with a hard-rock band playing in your ears; it’s the same situation with fish. Feeding is the furthest thing from their minds; however not all fish in the lake are like that.”
“There are times you can change your location and conditions change. It may only be a 1º temperature change that makes the difference. You can slow your presentation, downsize your bait or a combination of both. Whatever you decide; keep a positive attitude, be versatile, and learn from the past”, says Stewart.
Stealth Planer Floats by RediRig in Small Size
Now here’s my take on tough bites. The tough bites are slow for a reason. It’s mostly due to a change in weather conditions. Be it an approaching or passing cold front, heavy rain or a drastic change in barometric pressure; something has cause the fish to become sluggish and inactive. Lethargic fish are easy to spook. I use Stealth Planer Floats to get my baits as far out into that quiet water as possible. These planers have a quick release system allowing the planer to release when the fish strikes; no need in having someone else take the planer off your line while you fight the fish.
I place a medium size swivel about 3 feet from my baits. I attach the Stealth Planer to the line and adjust the release so that when I get a strike all it takes is a light pop of the pole tip to make it release and slide back to the swivel. When I get the fish close to the boat, I can swing the entire rig into the boat.
With the Stealth Planers I can get my baits out 75 feet or more from the boat. I can slow down and work that quiet water behind and beside my boat. I can fish multiple Stealth Planers and cover a tremendous amount of water on both sides. I don’t have to worry about getting too close to the fish and spooking them.
The biggest advantage in using this planner is I don’t need someone to release the planer like with most planer boards. I can run these boards up next to docks in shallow water without spooking the fish. I can keep my boat in deep water while running my bait up besides shallow water docks and cover.
Believe me when I say it puts fish in the boat on those tough days. Look, this is what you need to do; give my friends at RediRig a call at 866-574-1380 for more information. You can order you planers directly online from their website: http://www.redirig.com/planerfloat.aspx. Watch the videos, these boards are great and can be fished from the bank.
Conclusion
The next time you find yourself stressed for a bite, recall the tips these veteran and experience anglers have suggested. It worked for them during their tough days; it may just give you an entirely new perspective on slow days. Bernard - Magnolia Crappie Club
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