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Re: Another Crappie Tip
| Author | Subject: Re: Another Crappie Tip |
| Kevin | Posted At 01:24:38 02/28/2002
Ralph, sorry, I forgot one more part of your question. I forgot to answer the jigging question. I use different methods to find what the fish want. When I find one that works, I stick with it. I use a flasher to find the fish and help determine their mood by seeing their reaction to what I do with my rod. Sometimes, I jig aggressively to draw fish into the cone of my sonar, then when they rise off the bottom I slow things down and try to imitate what I think they are feeding on. Daphnia and other micro organisms move in short eratic movements, so I try to imitate that by using tiny hops of my rod tip and let the jig slowly, and I mean real slow, fall. If I have trouble getting them off the bottom, then sometimes I try "pounding" my lure, or shaking it violently without changing the depth much. The vibrations attract the fish. Other times I'll drop the jig down low to the fish and slowly raise it and stop, raise and stop until the fish follows it up and then watch for the bite. How you work the lure and at what depth can vary by species. As a general rule, perch, bass, bluegills and walleyes tend to stay on the bottom, while crappies and sometimes bluegills, and often trout, will suspend off the bottom (sometimes a few feet, sometimes half way up the water column). I've even had trout hit right at the hole as I was bringing my lure out of the water! My biggest advice would be to purchase a flasher (I know it's been said many times by others here, but it's true). You will catch more fish and learn more what to do. I currently own a Zercom Clearwater Classic and I love it. But, from what I understand and have seen lately, the Vexilar is state of the art. It may seem expensive now, but it's well worth the price and can save you drilling a lot of holes while putting more fish on the ice! Hope this helps. |