backseat pullage

[dwaw]

need some help. i primarily spider rig and i'd like to improve the hit rate for the guy i've been fishing with. we're both runnin' 6 rods with jigs and minnows.

[HeyCharlie]

Seems to me that front seat has always had the advantage. Guess he will just have to take front chair! or you can drive boat backwards

[dwaw]

i understand what you're saying charlie but 12 to 1 is almost embarassing. although not enough to give up my front seat.

[Barnacle Bill]

I've seen it go both ways during the same trip. Sometimes it only takes the slightest difference for one to catch more than the other.

[papadave]

We fish this way a lot ...... angle a couple of the the back rods more to the side and use a little more weight to keep the line straight. 16' rods produce more in the back than do 12'-13'ers, guess the boat disturbs 'em. That being said you'll usually still pick up more in the front, but not 12 to 1.

[Corker]

Just find a spot with lots and lots and lots of fish and then you'll both be busier than one-armed paper hangers.

All kidding aside, I'd look at the methods & tackle you're both using. If you're doing EXACTLY the same things, then the difference may be luck. More likely, there's a small difference in the depths of your baits. Another possibility is the length of your rods--one of you may be presenting baits a foot or two farther away from the boat & that's the difference. Switch a couple of rods & see if the "luck" stays with the rods that are hot.

As to the notion that the front seat always has the advantage--that's not necessarily the case. One hot afternoon last summer, Doodlum was fishing out of my back seat. We were both using minnows & had them set at exactly the same depths. I had the iPilot on spot lock, so we were back & forth over a small zone. He landed 3 citations & I landed none.

[dwaw]

maybe as the bite picks up it'll even out some. all rods are set up the same way. his depth may be different though; and the idea of longer rods in the back makes a lot of sense to me. thanks.

[Corker]

depth may be different...longer rods in the back

Sometimes they seem to have tunnel vision. If your bait is a few inches too high or low, they don't notice it. When I have a hot rod, I measure the depth setting carefully (even marking it off on the gunwale) and set the other lines to that exact depth. When you're moving, other tiny differences will cause lines to ride up and affect bait depth, including sinker weight and line drag. It's easy to equip each line with the same float/sinker setup. Drag results from everything you hang below the cork. Heavier line creates more drag than thin. Larger baits create more drag. Multiple split shot probably create more drag than a single egg sinker. A swivel below the cork creates more drag than one above it. Even the number and size of knots have a tiny effect.

[TapOut64]

This is the very reason that I got my Lund with side by side seating up front. Most fishermen that spider rig a brush pile will use their electronics up front to put them right on top of the brush pile. (or off it however long their rods are) This leaves the guy in the rear of the boat out of the action. Short of pulling up alongside and casting to the brush your best bet is side by side seating if your boat can accommodate it. Hard to do as well in the back if the crappie are holding to structure and the guy up front is on them. Leaves the guy in the back out in left field.



This is considered part of the crappie package.

[brdhunter2]

I have a double seat pedistal for sale w/pics in the classified section. Very simple and stable to use on any boat...