A number of factors make long-lining for crappie a productive technique. “Long-lining is a great way to scout a lake or river,” explained Hudson. “That’s especially true on any new lake or river that you maybe crappie fishing on.”
“It also lets you cover more water and assess the lake or river while you are fishing,” added Chappell. “Plus in my own experience you don’t lose as many crappie as you do when compared to other techniques.” Chappell pointed out that most of the crappie he loses when fishing is on a short line where they jump off.
Hudson likes long-lining for crappie because it lets him cover lots of water quickly and unlike spoon feeding crappie in a brush pile long-lining lets him focus on catching active fish. Most of these crappie are located offshore around some type of cover or structure.
Typically, the Bobby Garland Crappie Baits/Gene Larew Crappie pro staff team of Chappell and Hudson will run four to eight B’n’M crappie rods out the back and sides of the boat when long-lining. “We like to troll about 1 mph. That lets us cover a lot of water in a short time,” clarified Chappell. “It’s also important to watch your speed, depth and contour so you can start establishing a pattern,” Hudson pointed out.
Noting where you are when you start catching crappie is important to finding and catching other crappie. Hudson likes to check the GPS location on the sonar unit whenever they catch a crappie. Other crappie anglers will mark the location with a waypoint on the sonar’s GPS.
Most crappie will be located around some type of cover or structure. “I have always found the middle of the ledge to be the best part,” acknowledged Hudson.
Chappell and Hudson will normally use a double rig set up when long-lining for crappie. They don’t use live minnows, but artificial lures. One combination they like is Bobby Garland Stroll’R (www.genelarewlures.com) and Blakemore Road Runner (www.ttiblakemore.com). What colors they start out using depends on water clarity.
As the two begin to catch crappie long-lining they will change lure colors accordingly. “We let the crappie tell us what color lures they want that day. Often it will change as the day goes on,” pointed out Chappell. Using multiple rods with double rigs allows them to explore several colors quickly to find out what color will catch the crappie.
Bobby Garland Stroll’R features a shad or minnow shaped body with a curl tail. The curl tail has a paddle tip that gives it a unique swimming action when retrieved or trolled.
The Bobby Garland Stroll’R comes in 34 different color patterns. Popular color patterns include black/chartreuse silver, black/hot pink and blue thunder. On Grand Lake in Oklahoma, the most popular color lately has been electric chicken.
A Bobby Garland Stroll’R is usually rigged on a Bobby Garland Mo’Glo jig head. They are available in five colors including pink glo, ghost glo, chartreuse glo, blue glo and orange glo.
Blakemore Road Runners similar to the Bobby Garland Stroll’R come in a wide variety of color patterns to choose from. Unlike the Bobby Garland Stroll’R, the Blakemore Road Runner has a blade positioned on the bottom part of the jig head. The blade position makes it easier for a crappie to see it; in addition to keeping the fishing line from tangling or interfering with hooking up.
Double rigs can be tied several ways. Chappell and Hudson like to tie an overhand loop knot to attach the top jig about three feet above the bottom jig. It’s a simple and easy rig to tie.
They use 6-pound Vicious fluorocarbon fishing line when long-lining even in stained water like at Ross Barnett reservoir in Mississippi. Fluorocarbon line lets them get better hook sets.
Next time you go to a new reservoir or river crappie fishing try long-lining. It’s an effective technique that will help you locate and catch crappie quickly.
Long-Lining for Crappie - by Brad Wiegmann
Visit Brad's website at: www.BradWiegmann.com
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