Thread: Do I have to start trolling jigs ?

Not from Ga, but I know here in fall when the fish are scattered in open water, fishing a minnow under a cork will get marginal results vs longlining. But now come spring through summer fishing a jig around structure or weeds or a minnow under a cork in same scenario will give better results than longlining. Not much help to you other than if you see someone catching fish and your not, adapt and catch fish. No shame in longlining or spiderrigging. After you have done it a while you will learn there is more to it than simply tossing a bait out and turning on the trolling motor. Still have to read water and locate fish and feeding fish, dial in on jig weights and colors like any other fishing method. Just covering a bunch of water. But to answer your question, no you do not have to do it. But your son would probably be a bit happier catching fish than looking at a minnow dragging his bobber around endlessly.

In my opinion, the technique doesn't matter as long as you can get the bait in front of the fish. Personally, I mainly longline troll with fairly good results. But this is my preferred way of fishing. I feel confident in what I am doing so I stick with it, even when the guys spider rigging are catching fish 3 to my 1. When the fish go to the lilly pads and everyone is catching them with a cork and minner, I am trolling...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Stick with what you feel confident with and change up your presentation if the fish are not cooperating. That guy 200 yards from you may have been trolling over a trash pile that was holding fish. Gotta be on the move to find the structure or food source that attracts the fish....Good Luck!!

TNT hit the nail on the head. I had the same problem until I KNEW the depths of my jigs. You can type in jig depths on CDC and get a wealth of information on depth control of your jigs. There is a speed/weight chart that someone took the time to do and post it on CDC. I wish I had it 30 years ago. Download load it, print it out and take it with you. Crappie will not go down for a bait. It has to be above the. You were probably fishing too deep.

You will figure out colors while fishing.

Long lining is a great way to go, try to stay around 7/9mph and remember the father you throw out the line the deeper they go. Use 1/16oz jigs in a double rig, 35' out = about 4 to 6'., 70' out 10 to 12' deep. +-

Doodie, if you feel that having 12 or more rods out is more like seining than fishing just troll 2 out of the front and two out of the back. I have always liked to troll, sometimes successfully other times not so much. Over the years I have shot docks, pushed minnows and jigs over brush piles or timber, pitched to the bank or around structure, fished around dock lights at night, put out lights in the timber at night, trolled corks in shallow water and single pole jigged. Trolling is still my number one tactic followed by pushing and dock shooting third. Basically I do what ever it takes!!

I love trying new ways to catch Crappie, Almost as much as catching them. My favorite is longlining & single casting a single jig. Love the thump.

Look....fish of all species on occasion scatter over a wide area. Sometimes in multiple schools,sometimes just a lot of fish individual or smaller numbers over an area. It may be a large flat or it may follow some contour on the bottom,like a drop off or hump or around points or whatever. And it's not just crappie about every species will do this a portion of the year. If they are doing that in large numbers on any given day then trolling or another similar method is going to be the most productive. Look at how they troll the oceans and the Great lakes,and the larger lakes of the world. Many anglers over the years who intentionally handicap themselves to increase the sporting level would not troll precisely because it was too effective at times.

Some lakes because of their and structure and architecture are going to be conducive to trolling more than others. You can get your feet wet learning to troll some without a lot of specialized equipment . If you get the right lure or bait at the right depth at the right speed fish are going to bite it ,they don't know what's on the other end of the line.Start with a couple of your regular rods out the side or back of the boat and catch a few.

At some point even on lakes where crappie are susceptible to trolling a large portion of the year, at some point they will concentrate in the shallows and around structure and be more susceptible to vertical or cast fishing.

Learn as many methods as you can and learn when and how to utilize them. If you dislike one of them enough and you would rather not catch fish then use that method then so be it. Some people do that. If you do then concentrate on getting the best you can on your chosen methods and when and where they work best.

I have sit in a single spot with one or two poles,a bucket of minnows,bobbers,split shots, and crappie hooks and caught so many fish It actually started to get monotonous. But does that mean i should or could do that everyday on every lake....of course not.

Longlining is my preferred method of fishing all year, it allows you to cover alot of water fairly quickly and find aggressive feeding fish. I also shoot docks (2nd choice for crappie fishing), but will also spiderrig, toss a cork n jig to the bank, and from time to time minnow fish a treetop.

No one technique is perfect, learn a little about them all and then apply them when needed. And you dont need a passle of rods to longline with and catch crappie...I longlined for years with just 4 rods out the front and caught livewells full of crappie.

As long as I am fishing I am happy...the way I catch them is secondary.