Must have fishing gear for trolling crankbaits for crappie - By Brad Wiegmann

You need more than just crankbaits when it comes to trolling for crappie. Most serious crappie anglers trolling for crappie will even have special gear. This list has everything and more for an angler that wants to be successful at trolling for crappie.


One thing you can either do with or without is a fishing buddy. Most trolling motors on boats have some type of autopilot mode allowing an angler to steer without physically driving the boat. Utilizing this function an angler can rig up, cast out the lures, put on planer boards, reel in fish, net them and put them in the livewell. Of course it can get chaotic when you get multiple hookups which happen often without a buddy.


When it comes to rods for trolling crankbaits anglers have numerous choices, but what rod depends on how the angler wants to present the crankbait. Trolling rods are designed to be light weight, sensitive but durable. Length and action are determined by the technique.





For example a B’n’M Poles Pro Staff Trolling Rods Xtra Long is designed with a longer length to keep crankbaits far away from the boat without using planer boards. They come in 18 foot long with 4 sections or a 20 foot long with 4 sections. It comes with an upward reel seat handle for using with a bait casting reel along with lots of backbone for aggressive trolling crankbaits.


Pro Staff Trolling Rods by B’n’M Poles are available in 8-, 10-, 12-, 14- and 16 foot in length. Featuring Dyna-Flow guides this rod is lightweight, but with enough backbone for trolling deep diving crankbaits. Its rod tip has just the right action to keep a crappie hooked up even when being pulled forward. B’n’M Poles POW-R-Troller rods are available in 14-, 16- or 18-foot long with a blank design for trolling lines with PICO Lures trolling weights up to 3-ounces.


What reel will depend on the angler’s preference? Most serious crankbait troller’s will use bait casting reels with line counters. Monofilament fishing line or braid can be used when trolling. The owner of PICO Lures Mitch Glenn likes to use PICO Lures Vanguard Tackle 15 pound ForceFlex Mono on his spinning trolling rods and switches over to Vanguard Tackle 50 pound test/ 12 pound diameter Forcefiber Braid on his line counter reels. “I’m normally pushing crankbaits up on the bow with the spinning rods and don’t really need much line out to do that,” Glenn continued, “However, on the stern where I’m long lining PICO Crankbaits I like braid. It lasts forever and if you get hung up you can just pull it off.” It doesn’t matter what kind of line Glenn is using he ties a Vanguard Tackle snap on to make changing lures quicker.



Offshore Tackle has a complete line of planer boards with the OR38 Mini Planer or OR12 Side Planer being the most popular for trolling crankbaits for crappie. OR38 Mini Planers are reversible and float without being too big for lightweight rods. OR 12 Side Planer boards come in either a right or left side model and are capable of handling wavy conditions or being set out farther away from the boat with several release or clip styles available.


Rod holders are a must have if you plan on doing multiple rods. Driftmaster Rod Holders have several high qualities, durable trolling systems that allow anglers to place rods throughout the boat. They even have no drill trolling systems for anglers that don’t want to drill holes in their boats.


Two things we don’t want to leave out are batteries and landing nets. While you have options for batteries it’s hard not to recommend lithium batteries. “I love the fact you can have a powerful, long lasting battery that weighs 1/3 the weight of a lead acid battery,” Owner of Crappie.com Ed Moes continued, “With the Impulse Lithium batteries you can even check an app on your phone and see how much voltage you have left. I have trolled for over 3 hours and my Impulse Lithium battery has never gone below 80% on my 24 volt 60amp battery.”


As for a net, Moes uses a Mathew Outlaw Signature Series Landing Net. The adjustable handle made from aluminum with a large removable head and silicon net bag. Its longer handle makes it easy to scoop up crappie from long distances from the boat.


Of course the most important thing is what crankbait to use. The most popular are PICO Lures INT Deep Diving or Squarebill models. PICO deep divers can reach up to 18 feet deep with enough line out, but most anglers will keep them in the 10- to 12-foot range. PICO Squarebills are popular in shallow lakes like Lake Washington or Grenada in Mississippi. It’s also popular to push PICO Squarebills as they don’t dive like the deep diver does. Teasers like Road Runners can be added before the crankbait when crappie want a smaller lure.


As for what color crankbait PICO Lures has 40 different color patterns to pick from. Certain color patterns like Beach Ball is hot in Kentucky while Christmas Tree is in Mississippi. When shad is the main forage chrome patterns are always a good choice.