I think it depends on the individual and where the fish are at the time and whether they want a moving bait at the time.Originally Posted by XMAN
Is this method used only at certain times or quite often?
I think it depends on the individual and where the fish are at the time and whether they want a moving bait at the time.Originally Posted by XMAN
Fair Winds and Following Seas
Bill H. PTC USN Ret
Chesapeake, Va
I would NEVER troll during the spawn...I hate trolling. i like to drop the jig straigt to them.
Trolling can be used anytime but is real productive in the spring and fall. You can cover a lot more water and locate fish espically if yoy don't get to spend a lot of time on the water. Once you learn the seasonal patterns of crappie you can use this system over and over. The most important thing I learned in trolling is having your boat set up right to troll several different methods
When they are spawning in the Spring or when they are up close to the bank like they are now in my area, trolling is not near as good as other methods. But, a lot of the time, it can be the best method to find schools of crappie in deeper water. I troll a lot in the summer and it has proved to be very effective for me.
Trolling works best for me when the Crappie finish the spawn and move out into the channels. You can catch them suspended there until water temps start to heat up and they go deep. That is when I would change over to a drift rig of your choice. Good luck to you!
By far the best time to troll on the lakes i fish here in east tenn is from the time the water temp reaches 50 degrees mid to late march until they move in on the nest. start fishing at the mouth of the creeks and follow them back as the water warms.
Speck
Real men troll for crappie (Here Fishy Fishy !)
The two most important things to me are quality rod holders and a variable speed trolling motor. I use titelok rod holders because they can be adjusted with no tools. Also variable speed is the most important thing for me in trolling as a lot of the old motors on the lowest settings are still to fast. There are several rod holders on the market that will work Go to www.titelok.com. Also Driftmaster makes a good looking holder. There was a post that showed some from www.crappieunlimited.com that were all stainless steel. I have seen these and they are very nice. Hope this helps. GOOD FISHIN
I troll most the time, but the best time is before the spawn and after the spawn, as they move in and out of the spawning area..I push a home made spider rig which works well tandem and triple rigged.
GB