• A Little Fun in the Summer Sun by Crappie Buster

    What is more enjoyable than catching a mess of crappie for the dinner table? I can’t think of much. One thing that does comes to mind is catching a mess when few others are. The 50-60 crappie anglers that are at the landing in March have now dwindled to 2 or 3.Why most people don’t fish for crappie in the summer is beyond me. I say this as someone who has just started fishing for them this year. In years past I’ve been a winter and a spring time fisherman, following the fish from the deep depths till it’s time to beat the bank with jigs. When they quit biting on the banks, we quit also, but not this year. If you get the chance this summer go out and give the crappie a try, you might like the results.
    This year I set a goal for myself to catch crappie until it was time for Deer season (Aug. 15th here). So far, I’ve been fairly successful. Most days are slow and you have to fish for them, but that’s the fun in it. On my home lake, Lake Murray, the crappie make a run up the rivers (Big and Little Saluda) in the early spring to spawn. They make a run back down to bigger water in the summer time to find cooler, deeper water. Not all fish leave the rivers though as I have found out this year. There are “resident” fish that remain in the river year round and these fish can be caught with a technique called single pole jigging.

    I learned about the technique from a fellow Crappie.com member as I saw him doing it and became inquisitive. It is really simple, find structure and you will find fish. Funny thing is this structure doesn’t have to be in deep water as I suspected. I have been fishing structure at all the depths the river has to offer. Structure that I have been fishing include: tree tops, stickups, bridges, and docks. I have not put any brush out and have not fished any man-made brush.

    The key to this method is finding structure with a purpose. I look for logs on humps adjacent to the river, logs in creek channels off the river, tree tops that have fallen into the river channel, and docks that are near the river channel. One thing to keep in mind is that depth does not play as big a role with this technique. Although it is a common assumption that you must fish deep in the summer, this technique will catch fish at all depths. My last trip out my best fish came from 4 foot of water. Think outside the box and it will pay off.

    The equipment that I have been using is a 10’ B’n’M Tuff Lite pole, a Wally Marshall Tightline Special reel spooled with 4 lb Wally Marshall High Vis line, and a 1/64th oz jig. The High Vis line allows me to see the bite of the finicky crappie and stay in contact with my jig at all times. The 1/64th oz jig is very light and presents a slow presentation for the crappie. Adding a little scent such as Slab’s Minnow Sauce will help! Just drop the jig beside the cover and twitch it a few times, working it vertically so that all depths are covered. When you feel the thump, set the hook and hold on! After the first fish you’ll know why you SHOULD be crappie fishing in the dog days of summer!

    Good Luck and Tight Lines to All!

    The first picture is of a beautiful sunrise this summer. This site on a July South Carolina day means it’s about to start cookin’!

    The second picture is of me holding two of our nicer fish from a morning trip a couple weeks ago.

    The last picture is of my dad sporting his SLAB. This one was released to grow another year!


    Comments 1 Comment
    1. hollidas's Avatar
      hollidas -
      Great read CB. Thumbs Up
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