I’m Getting Better

I launched at 6:45 this morning and had plans to test a few experiments. The Moon had recently risen.



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First up, the all brand new to me planer board technique.


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I sprinkled boat with Slab Sauce .....looks like coffee but it’s sauce.

These are the mini boards and would be all I am likely to need. I got a rod rigged with one of the Pony Head spinner jigs I have been pouring, painting, and accessorizing, and then attached the line to the board and sent it out. Simple enough. Once at a decent distance I began rigging rod number two. Something seemed odd with the first board and sure enough a nice fish had hit and hooked himself. I was impressed. Less than a minute and the board had a fish.

Later, both boards accounted for about ten fish. I wanted to learn how to use these because the lakes I frequent are very shallow. Vast expanses of grassy bottomed lakes, and one lake is six feet at it’s deepest. When I got my first ever crappie rods I went with 16 feet because of how shallow the lakes are. The boat is 20 feet long and pretty wide and if it were only a few feet above the fish, it is able to scatter them far and wide. I figured if I could teach myself how to use boards I could eliminate the boat chasing fish away.

So I fished two 10’ rods with the boards, and the four 16’ rods were two out front pushing and two out to the sides in the back of the boat long lining. The first few fish were a challenge to bring in without fouling other lines, but common sense prevailed. Like a giant bobber, the crappie, even dinks, caused the boards to indicate for me. No tattle flag necessary. I would see the board reacting to the bite, grab the rod and pop the line in the front clip loose. The board would then swing back and surf in with the fish. The back clip does not slide back, rather holds the board to the line where it got clipped. I had about 8’ of line behind the board which meant that I could swing the fish board and all into the boat and not have to remove it.

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I put the two planer board rods in the back, tips pointed at the sky. This kept the line out of the water.

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Here i was using boat control to maneuver the lure nearer to the weed line. Can’t see it here but I managed to pass very close in with my lure. I am going to order two more mini boards and run four out the back of the boat. I really liked how the system worked and plan to get good with these devils.


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Most of my sixteen fish were of this size, and all released.

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This is how I transport the rods over the road. Secures them nicely.

Other experiments were a solar shield.


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This shield is promising but needs some tweaking to get it right for me. I read the older men talking about how they wish they had avoided the Sun a little better. Good advice.

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Creel counter will be nice later when I get my act together.

I recently poured some bell sinkers, and painted them white and added UV enhancement. Well I added little rubber bands to them and simply looped them onto the main line, where I could adjust the distance between sinker and lure very easily. Then once positioned, they stayed that way. I was very impressed. This will help me pushing, pulling and planing. No damage to the line. I will be able to run sinkers between the boards and the lures and keep everything compact enough that I will not have to remove the boards, just swing the fish aboard. I imagine I could get a jig down about 5 feet on a short length of line.

I also tested my new leader system and it was flawless today. No tangles wraps or snarls. The line is BassPro Shops TightLine in 12lb test. Bright bright yellow.You can see that in the planer board picture.

My hand made jigs worked a little better than the purchased stuff today. It is not easy making my own tackle but it sure is nice when it works. Got some new powder paints coming. Testing out ways to shield the eye and the swivel that extends underneath. Used 1/8” shrink wrap on the eye very effectively. The swivel was too fat to fit and so wrapped those with tape designed to withstand baking. Opening the split rings is a huge hassle, and there is a blade to affix first, then to the swivel. Have willow leaf blades and Colorado. Using wide gap hooks as they look very aggressive, and they did the job today that is for sure.

So as the title says I am getting better. My mentor called to check on me and I had done better than he had. I can suggest that if you are fishing shallow lakes, try planer boards. They look like a huge hassle but it doesn’t have to be that way. Consider using something to ward off the UV rays from the Sun and save your face. The shield may work out for me, but might not. Let me know if you have questions, and I will offer my best newby solution. LOL

I love trying out new ideas. Looks like yours are paying off for you. Thanks for sharing.

Like your eagerness/creativity/willingness to post(share) = two-fold success potential...yours/reader's(ca-ching/catching!):Rofl:cheers2

u2s:fish

Micanopy- There is a definite, proven, success-driven bunch that mainly use the boards = Crappie money-tournament Professionals. I guess board-dom should help eliminate boredom, I know =yuk yuk!:Rofl

Stay creative/often yields to grease invitees-

u2s:fish

Good job staying after the process. It’s fun trying the different techniques and seeing which ones pay off for you.

Went yesterday and the water was smooth as glass....well at least until that whirl wind started up. LOL

Managed my best fish yet- 12”

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I also caught eleven of his little bitty buddies.

Entertainment was provided free of charge.

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I started out using two planer boards with spinner jigs, two long rods long lining out the back with jigs that have no spinners, and two long rods pushing out the front with no spinners. As everything progressed waves started interacting with the boards, but no biggie really. Then the wind started screaming and I switched tactics. Motored over to the protected side of the lake and set all four long rods pushing jigs out the front, with two rods pulling crank baits out the back.

I am mystified as to how a crappie can see the differences in jigs in stained water, but somehow they do. They were liking orange but the best one liked a gray Powerbait minnow. Anyone know anything at all about what they see ?

I think I have kind of solved the issue of scent application. First time I used Slab Sauce I sprayed away and basically made a horrible mess. Then I tried dipping and dribbled sauce all over everything. So now I have it in small plastic vials and have those rigged to sit open and up right over the side of the boat. :) Now they are at the ready whenever I want to increase my confidence a tad.

Obviously, the key is to present a jig the fish will want to attack. Bunch of bushwhackers looks like to me. So I have decided to explore different shapes of jig heads to see what happens. I bought some pill head shaped jigs and they have an aggressive hook for the sizing- 1/16- 1/32 - 1/64 ounce. I want to see if they swim better. I read that aspirin headed jigs are favored by river men because they can fall faster in running waters. Maybe that means they can swim faster, too. Makes sense kind of in that they present a skinnier surface to penetrate the water.

One of the discoverable moments for me was just how easily these aspirin headed jigs slip into my tube baits. I flip the tube upside down, use the jig head to wiggle the legs out of the way, rub it on them to lube it up, squeeze the tube to make an oval opening, and in it goes. I really like the tube baits for some reason, and they certainly are cheap enough. My orange body with yellow legs tube got three fish yesterday. Anyways they don’t mangle the jig body during the insertion process.

I used to make custom sinkers for surf fishing. Legs that extended outward and gripped the sand to hold, then released when a fish bit the bait. I discovered lead residue was accumulating on my fingers from fingering my lead weights, so I started powder painting them. I decided to make a fluid bed back then, about fifteen years ago or so, and it worked but man what a mess. So I wanted to see what modern day fluid beds look like and the design is pretty much unchanged- go figure right. I saw where a member here added a vibration machine under his to get extra fluff with less puff, and ostensibly less mess. So I made my new fluid bed to sit atop of a vibration table that is being delivered to me later.

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A simple reducer at the bottom
TJ’s Tackle canister
Nifty little thingie set atop to keep the powder down inside

Having played around with filter media before, I wanted something better than coffee filters and postal envelopes. The TJ’s media seems better but many of the same issues exist, mainly that some powders just seem to do better than others. So hopefully adding vibration will help, although I imagine some powders might not like to be juggled about.

Does anyone know what to buy and where when it comes to the filter media stuff as I want to make canisters for all my colors and don’t want to pay premium pricing ?

I painted these 1/16 ounce pill heads. I went with no collar design so I can tie them with yarn for soaking up Slab Sauce. Also hopeful they will balance a little better. For soft plastics I can lay down a layer of thread and glue the bait to that.

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The yellow and the green are UV reflective and the dragonFly and pink are not. I also have some glow in the dark powders which I plan to test out as well, even though I am not sure they will be of much use. I suspect the color will be all that the fish see and the glow not so much.

Anyways I would have fished longer but my wife came home from work and called to say that there was no water. Nice huh ? Well I diagnosed it as the pressure switch on the well having gone bad and I called my big brother to come over and fix it. I bought a new one and he came over and attached it. Now she has water again and all is well. I gave him a Plano box loaded with my creations and he loved it. All manner of jigs inside and a few of his all time favorites- Beetle Spins.

Can’t fish today as it is pouring rain and lightening. I can always tell when a thunderstorm approacheth....the hounds become very eager to interact with me. Terrible to be afraid of thunder when you live in Florida. LOL. At least they think I can save them from that terrible noise.

My kid brother is down from Washington DC this week with a friend I have had since childhood. Each year they come down to surf fish. They even bought a trailer in Welatka/Satsuma area for this purpose.

So I have to go surf fishing again.....BOOOOOOOO.

I want to get in the boat instead !!!!!

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your definitely doing the process and experimentation right, just keep wetting lines and enjoying yourself. you will keep getting better.

those jig heads of yours are looking good. I just started to down size some of you rods and lures to the 1/32 range. It's a whole different game than what I am used to. Keep up the good work and keep us up dated as you go along.

The wife and I have been on vacation this week and spent our first two days at the beach. She has a degree in art from the University of Florida so just about everything is an opportunity to get artsy. Her sand art was admired by almost all of the passers by. Not sure how I feel about it, but doesn’t matter because she loved it, and several passers by took pictures and discussed it’s greater meaning or whatever folks are supposed do as they stare at such things. I said it looked like a skewered mermaid man the aliens put down here to monitor our nuclear ambitions. Maybe you got a better imagination.

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Then I said it was time to go back to the beach house our friends let us use ( we regular folk ain’t got beach house of our own ). She did not want to go but that old fireball is wicked on one’s skin. Pouting.


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Too late she got burned anyways. Came out of the shower with that lovely fresh boiled lobster look. I searched the house but no aloe was to be found. I ran to the store and came back with two bottles, one for her and one to leave behind for the next beach victim.

The next day I just drove her down the beach in my four wheel drive. From Crescent to Mantanazas it is a good long trip. She got to have fun without actually getting into the Sun. UV light is not her friend. She asked what I wanted to do and I wanted to head back home to the sweet water, so we packed up and headed back.

Yesterday was day three and I asked her where she wanted to go and she said fishing in a lake. So we loaded up and went to Newnans Lake, which is in Gainesville. The water there is murky brown and there is sediment, mud, on the bottom that my motor stirred up. Very shallow lake as the deepest part I have encountered was six feet, mostly it is 3-5 feet deep. The shoreline is all cypress trees tightly packed to one another. We could peer back in there a little and saw some houses. Hard to see them until you are right up on them. She wants to live in one of those now - great.

Anyways we spider trolled around in three feet of water so we could cruise the shoreline peering in and looking for her favorite creature- the alligator. There were a few about but nothing like sometimes when the place is crawling with dragons. She wanted to drive the TM and was weaving us through the various obstacles, down trees, lily pads and grass. She did pretty good and we only lost two jigs. Problem was a rod would indicate and she would say something but when I went to reach around her I would whack that sunburned back. LOL, so the fish would escape the trap, but that is fine because no size to them anyways. We did get to see some military jets using the airport for exercises. Lots of dumb birds to gawk at. I commented that the water turkeys sound just like her chihuahua when she whines crybaby fashion.

After about a mile of shoreline trolling we headed out into the middle of the lake. I sent out four, yes four planer boards, and two 16’ rods sticking straight out the side. It was windy so we let that kind of point us and she used the TM for a little assist on the speed. The boards bobbed about in the waves some but managed to keep themselves out an away from the boat. In these shallow lakes I am very suspicious about chasing fish away. That big boat passing straight overhead probably tosses their appetite. The boards allow me to present my jigs in a more discreet fashion. I was pleased to see just how easy it was to manage four. I do not think I want six out, as the two rods out the side are way too easy.

She asked how we would know if we had a bite, and I pointed at a board and said well it will do like that baby, and started reeling in our first fish. Man when I swung him aboard he looked like a whale. Easily the biggest crappie I ever caught or seen in person. I was very pleased. Then his identical twin hit the boat, then another. I tell you it was a happening going on. A party right there in the boat. Only the Sun was blazing down on her and I knew she wouldn’t complain and want to go in with me catching fish like they were going out of style. We spent too much time trolling the shoreline and used up our allotment of fun in the Sun. She was grateful when I lit the engine and reeled everything back in. Poor devil.

She did mention that I am much better at launching and landing the boat. :)

Back at the house she decided that she needed to learn how to clean fish ( secretly I prayed ). Well she got to it and what transpired was wrong, but the girl is learning. She mangled my trophies in hideous fashion, and we only got a few morsels that seemed to have been shaped like jagged leaves. Big smile on her face. It is a poor man indeed that cannot teach his wife to clean fish my friend.

So I ran down to the grocery store and came back with some tuna steaks. Blackened fish on salad is always a big hit with her. She said our fish tasted great.

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Today we plan a river cruise down the St Johns River. Not too much fishing, just a lot of riding around looking. Yes she will be wearing long sleeves. Yes she will be wearing a large floppy hat. Yes we will have sandwiches and such aboard the boat. Unsure of exactly where to put in and where to go, but by the time we drive over I will get that sorted out. She promised me that I could apply full throttle today- YEAH !!!!! She says her boat is way too fast. It really only goes 45 mph, which seems quick when you are so close to the water with no cage around you.

So I am getting better, seemingly every time I get out there. Those planer boards are the bomb for fishing shallow lakes. If you drag jigs in. shallow water you should consider using them. Also, my homemade jigs have been a big hit with the local fish. Now I am gonna try to make some crazy colors. The UV reflective stuff seems to be the ticket. I am well into my third tackle storage idea now. Need to get two more dedicated rods for planer board fishing. Got today to have fun and then one more day, tomorrow, which is also my birthday. She got me a coffee cup that says- “She turned me into a newt”. My mentor is proud of my achievements so far and wants to come fish on my boat now. That man can flat out fish, too.



I been telling the man upstairs ‘thank you’ quite a bit lately. Very grateful for all my blessings.

Awesome write up. Have fun out there and enjoy the time together. Thanks for sharing with us.

Looks like a good time and some good action. Nice fish !

Nice share Micanopy...did you ever find the purported, deeper holes?:dono
u2s:popcorn

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Originally Posted by up2specks

Nice share Micanopy...did you ever find the purported, deeper holes?:dono
u2s:popcorn

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Nope.

The lake is large and I didnt cover all of it.

Y’all are having too much fun. I’d like to walk your wife through the way I fillet a crappie, either electric or regular knife. She has the desire, the rest is just practice.

Well after having had success using those fine planer boards that fine family sold me....I decided that this technique needed to be explored a little more. The rods I used were not what was needed or very useful for the purpose. So I did a little figuring and read a little about how them walleye fellers do things.

I wanted everything to be the same so as that make it easy for me to keep track of what I am doing. Making small changes and testing one new idea against the other, while all the rods remain in an equal fashion. I read that planer boards like a fiberglass rod that has some stiffness to it, but also some flex so that it will give when the waves pull at it. I experienced some of that wave action when the winds picked up last time. I also wanted a rod that was inexpensive, of course, and found a matching set of 4 ten footers on Ebay for $80. These will be good starter rods for me. I know everybody uses shorter rods for this but I wanted longer. I want to be able to lift the fish into the boat without having to stop and remove the planer board. I add weights when I need more depth and 8 feet behind the boards seems to work pretty good. Also, that extra rod length will help with running the boards as they want the line to reach out to them without touching the water.

Obviously needed 4 new reels so I got to reading about how that all goes. Currently I am using Okuma Classics on my 16’ Jenko spider rods, but they are definitely overkill. I had tried spinning reels but I was stripping line by hand to adjust depths, and that made the line wrap around the tips of the rods every time I went to deploy. Coils-O-Death !!!! So those four reels will become my new reels for planer board fishing and will be perfect for that. I do not feel that I need line counting reels as I can easily look out and see the boards and judge distances. The Okumas only cost $50 each and are known for their reliability and endurance over the years.

So.....now the spider rods need new reels.....hmmmmmm......I know that I don’t want spinners. I saw the little play type reels that some use as line holders and such. $15 specials. Nope that would be a simple waste of money. I mean they probably are perfect for some but for me I can see nothing but frustration. Read about the ice fishing reels- “In Line Reels” but again looked like I would be exchanging one set of issues for another new set.

So I read HERE where many HERE like low profile bait casters for the task, as they are small and light and have thumb bars. This thumb bar feature was mentioned as an advantage as when if the line is only sticking out of the rod tip five feet, that leaves the fish eleven feet away during a simple lifting event. Currently I am using my off hand to actuate the spool release, but can see where a thumb bar would eliminate the need for two sets of fingers being involved. So I spent some time looking looking and wanting cheap devils with thumb bars. Amazon sells a lot of cheap Chinese junk, and anything with a name that I cannot spell or pronounce is probably not good. Then there were lots of American sounding names that were just that, American names for cheap Chinese junk. The reviews are a give away for me. When I see reviews with lots of pictures and flowery guarantees of high quality....click away quick.

So I ordered up some Quantum Invades. These are said to be very reliable and durable and have the thumb bar release thingie and were only $40 each. So they will go on the spider rods.

I have toyed around with various mono lines as well. Tried Vicisous didn’t care for it. Tried Stren didn’t care for the lack of Hi-Vis in their Hi-Vis. Tried Mr Crappie and that seemed pretty good. But seriously, the old tried and true line from my surf casting days is my favorite. BassPro Shop’s Off Shore Tight Line in yellow- 12lb test. The stuff simply glows and refuses to wrap around the rod tips. I can recommend it to you no problemo. Good stuff.

I plan to start trying 1/8 ounce jigs now. Been using 1/16 and 1/32 sizes exclusively. I figure a little bigger will be useful for dragging behind the planer boards. Grizzly Jigs has Minnow Headed jig heads, and I got some 1/16 and also 1/8 ounce sizes. The larger size will also allow me to paint them unusual colors and such. More room to add Slab Sauce capture materials and such. Currently liking those car wash mitten thingies and have posted some pictures for you in the jig making forum. LOL- Them fellers seem to tolerate me and I don’t know why.

Called the local boating center to get my Yamaha 115 SHO engine it’s 20 hour break in oil change and evaluation thing done. They never called me back. When I finally called back and got someone, the first question was.....”Did you buy the boat from us ?”- No I said and she told me three months to get scheduled. Ridiculous that they are allowed to advertise Yamaha anything on their windows. No way they are three months booked. So it will be a two hour trip back to the dealer where I bought the boat, who will do the work while I eat lunch. Amazing. He laughed when I said that I bought the boat back before Christmas. He wanted to know why I wasn’t using it. I said that the poor trolling motor is about wore out. LOL



Anyways, I wanted to thank you guys yet again for the assistance you have offered me- free of charge even. Thanks. I am getting better.

Nice write up, I really enjoyed it!!
Sounds like you all are having a wonderful time.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

You’re doing a good job in this learning curve. I had ten small BC reels that I bought on eBay for around $20-$25 each at the time, I used em for longline trolling cranks, which doesn’t work near as well here as it did in TN. A smoother drag was another benefit, and I used 10 lb line of the same flavor as you’ve chosen. The 4lb is also very good and been my top choice for many years. Trolling jigs with ten rods out is my multi rod technique of choice as my internal motor runs too fast for spider rigging. Keep after it, the obstacles are falling away at a pretty good rate.