need some advice from so old pro's

i would first like to say that this forum is very helpfull and this is why i am asking for some help, and have read most of the articles, a little info below will help you figure out what i am possible doing wrong.

i am realitively new to crappie fishing. i have bass fished quite a bit, but looking for something more so i have decided to start crappie fishing. well i fish on kentucky lake and have had a tough time this spring so far. i was hoping that some of you knowledgeable people could help me out.

i fish in kentucky lake around the tn-ky state line and the weather has been a little rought this spring but i don't think its all to blame on the weather.
i have made stake beds that have 4-5 foot stakes in a bucket filled with concrete sunk in 20,15, and 10 feet of water.

i recently got a hi-tek 4-rod holder and 4 11-foot BnM trolling rods with shimano spinning reels on them.

i have 10 pound mono for line with a 1/2-ounce weight on the bottom to keep the lure in the zone with a 4 pound flourocarbon leader below the weight with jigs or minnows tied on.

i have a hand held garmin gps that i use to track with and watch my trolling speed.

so i think i have the gear to make it happen but have not figured out what i am doing wrong.

i put different colored jigs on at different depths and troll between .5- 1.5 mph.....

any help from you guys would be helpfull, i'm just a newbie and trying to figure it all out, any help would be appreciate, personal experience would be more helpfull.

All I can tell you is for long line trolling I mostly use a 1/32 Oz. Roadrunner and one of the ones I tie. If stained I go right to a chart/Copenhagen Blue/Chart and if most clear (when I can see my jig down say at least 3') I will go to silver/Blue/White or Silver/Silver/Blue like in my Sig. Chart/Blake/Chart has been good too.

I usually just start by putting my TM on 3 and it's a variable speed TM. Mostly stay between .8 and 1.2 MPH, but I care more about my TM being on 3 and just adjust for the wind. Do your very best to stay on what ever contour you see them in with your sonar. Don't range away from that depth of water more then say 1/2 foot if possible.

Oh and I start out just casting that little RR as far as I can and that is usually how far back it is.

Skip

Pushing lines with that weight is fine but if youre pulling you would want to remove the weights and just depth by speed, amount of line out of the boat, and jig size. Before you drop your liens do some looking aroun d with your graph. You want to see some bait balls and preferrably some fish arches. You dont always have to see the arches though, but finding the bait is important as the fish feed on 'em.;)

i am doing more of spider rigging- where the jigs hang almost straight down over the bed? .......i guess

not that interested in necessary "trolling" as of right now.

Try not to fish too deep. Fish, I think, will come up a good ways to get a bait, but can't always see a bait below them. I know I"ve heard different ones say crappie "always feed up". I don't buy that, cause I think they will eat crawfish too and the bottom would be a good place to find food in certain areas, at certain times. But obviously they are set-up to feed from below. FWIW

If you are not aware of it, there are pages for each state farther down this site. Check the KY page for more KY Lake information and you will find that it has been a rough spring for most people. From what has been posted it appears the bite may be starting to become more active. Check it out and you may get more detailed information about KY Lake. Good Luck.

Olgrey

.5 to 1.5 is generally too fast for me. Try slowing down, WAY down. Smaller weights like a quarter will prevent ya from moving too fast too. Most common mistake in crappie fishing down here is moving too fast.

Just like bigger said... When spider rigging my highest speed is .5, I generally fish .3-.4