Crappie can be so fickle

[Ketchn]

I frequently hit a private dock at lunch break time during the week, I about never visit it other times of the day. The fish like that spot for about 10 months of the year pretty well and there is pretty much fish there in numbers every visit from February to November.
Now mind you this , them fish can be super finicky and terribly fickle on what they want and how they want it and or it might be "that" time of the year where none of it matters.
Case in point , rapidly changing weather here and water temps dropping have them in pre migration mode. They stage up in numbers about this time of year before they make their traditional/legendary river run.
The latest visits have them getting larger ,fatter and in good numbers , the keeper size to small fish ratio is getting better daily. The part that is odd , is how they can change what they want and how they want it in just a day or 2.
So I ran over there on my lunch break twice this last week , maybe 3 times ....
Old age is upon me to some degree, and it is difficult to keep up with what when and where these days, wetting a jig daily is go johnny go type stuff when you have lots of other important things in life to accomplish too.
Anyway ,earlier in the week it was ONLY on the rise of the jig that they would cooperate , very slowly rising and at about 3 to 4 foot down in 8 feet of water on the tops of things that might have been place in the water by me to congregate them
Fast forward to yesterday and mister let's hammer strolls in and CANNOT get EVEN a peck with this particular presentation?
2 locals were there hitting it hard with minnows and jigs and said they been there for 2 hours and ain't got a peck either ....not good for sure ....
So it became the type of scenario where I began to try other presentations , had a big jig on and starting pitching it some and just when I was about sure they were either not there or spooked by the visitors ,my line lays up on the fall of the jig . Sets hook and up comes a nice one ....hmmmm says me ...pitches a few more times in the area and on the fall yet again the line lays up .....hmmmm says me .....
Can't get a peck anywhere after that for a few minutes and decide to use a lighter jig and let it trickle down instead of the fast fall the heavier jig was producing. Well the other 2 folks done gave up and left and just like DAT >>>> I B Ketchn
they would ONLY take it falling and were thru out the water column all over the dock from the walkway to the deep end biting it ONLY on the fall.
Interesting that the presentation changed so dramatically in less than a week and it will be just a minute or 3 before they want it DEAD still, so remember this tip, what they wanted and was the ticket a day or so ago, may very well be history the next visit .
KABOOM is the word
p.s. pictured below are the 2 jigs , one was a wedge head with a plastic that dropped like a bullet , the other was a pill head with a fluffy body that went down like a feather...

[SuperDave336]

Good post Ketchn with some good info. I’ve experienced the same and recently they only want it swimming slowly. We’re those jigs 1/16? Hard to tell from pic.

[Ketchn]

Good post Ketchn with some good info. I’ve experienced the same and recently they only want it swimming slowly. We’re those jigs 1/16? Hard to tell from pic.

I think the wedge was possibly a 1/8 ? not sure, given to me to fast fall under an LS unit , had the feel of a rock tied to kite string though....
the pill head was supposed to be a 1/32 I think ,but feels and looks just a bit heavier than that to me ....maybe a 1/16 ,no clue is me ....
one thing for certain a really fluffy body hand tie even on a 1/16 will fall very slowly
both were items given to me to try out ....

[BuckeyeCrappie]

Thanks for posting your insights.

[SuperDave336]

I was sort of thinking the wedge looked like the 1/8 which explains the sink like a rock. The 1/16 wedge while they do fall quicker than some jigs it’s not extremely fast. I think the 1/16 are a little heavier than advertised but are my favorite jig heads.

[DockShootinJack]

That slow fall has been good for me around docks

[Ketchn]

Thanks for posting your insights.

If only one angler out there wears down some fish using a strategy I employ and promote, it makes me happy bro

[Ketchn]

That slow fall has been good for me around docks

most always is the best way if you are dock shooting , but standing on a dock is a whole different beast , many of those resistant to bite fish when you dock shoot ,can be enticed to bite when you are actually standing over them.

[Lund]

Thanks for the post! I dont have LS but will definatly use this technique!

[Ketchn]

Thanks for the post! I dont have LS but will definatly use this technique!

slow rise and slow fall are 2 of the 5 ways I try first every visit to the docks
(unless of course) I find what they want before 5 different presentations.
3 pitch and let sink diagonally, 4 dead still on the bottom, and 5 slow dragging horizontally
not in any particular order every time , that depends on the season and etc etc ....