|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
For those of you that are new to crappie fishing, or those that are
'seasoned' but still have a question or two, this section will try to
address those questions that are most often asked. If you
have a question that you don't see the answer for here, e-mail me with
it and I'll try to respond as soon as possible. If the
question is one that would be of interest to others, it'll be included
in the next revision of the website. Again, thanks for
coming to my website and good fishin'.
Questions
Question - What's the best time of the year to fish for crappie?
Answer - Any time that you're
not in the hospital. Just
kidding.....almost. Most folks fish for crappie in the
Spring time when the fish are up shallow and are at their easiest to
catch. Of course, Spring is the most unstable of the months
weather wise. Every time a front passes through, the fish
will react to it, and generally in a negative manner. My
favorite time is Summer and Fall. Fish are totally
dependable in their locations, and are most willing to eat a
jig. But, crappie can be caught all year long, if you know
how to fish for them in the differing conditions.
Question - Do you only fish jigs, and why?
Answer - Yes.....cause I have a
saying that goes, "I'd rather be taking a crappie off a jig than
putting a minnow on a hook". Jig fishing for crappie is
about as much fun as you can legally have. Advantages are;
they don't die, you usually don't run out of them right in the middle
of a hot bite, you don't have to worry about them either being too
small or too big, and you can get back into the action quicker after
landing that last fish. Don't get me wrong; there's nothing
wrong with minnow fishing, cause probably the large majority of crappie
that are caught annually, are caught on minnows. Just not by
me.
Question - How do you pick a good jig weight and color?
Answer - I don't, but the
crappie do. Always let the fish tell you what they
want. When you start the day of fishing, put on your
favorite color; it doesn't matter which. Fish it for about
three minutes in a good area. If you don't get bit, change
colors, and so on until you start to get bit.....and you
will. They're telling you what color they want that day, and
it'll probably work in all locations all over the lake. And
by the way; I like anything with chartreuse in it. As for
jig weight; I carry jigs in 1/32, 1/16, 1/8 and 1/4 oz, but here's the
trick.....they're all the same size. I pour all my own jigs
using a #4 Eagle Claw 570 bronze jig hook. It's just my
personal opinion, but I think the #4 hook is the optimum size for
crappie, and the Eagle Claw hook has never failed me. I can
then apply plastic bodies, chenille bodies, whatever to them.....and
yes, the crappie will tell me which one they want.
Question - What about jig presentation?
Answer - Much more important
than color or weight, in my opinion. You can be fishing the
world's best jig, and if you're fishing it wrong, you might as well be
home mowing the yard. Presentation at a given depth is
EVERYTHING. Put it at the right depth, and work it right,
and you'll catch fish.
Question - But how do you 'work it right'?
Answer - Which brings me to
another of my sayings, "slow down and catch up". You can't
fish a jig too slow in my opinion. Most time, I never move
my jigs, because I fish from a boat and the boat does all the moving of
the jig that is necessary. Think about it. In
nature, you usually don't see a bait fish jumping up and down, or in a
constant jiggling motion. You'll see them move from time to
time, but generally they won't attract more attention than necessary by
moving. When you think you're fishing slow enough.....SLOW
DOWN MORE. You'll catch more fish.
Question - What types of rods do I need to jig fish?
Answer - It depends on whether
you're fishing from the bank, or from a boat. If I'm bank
fishing or wading, I'm usually using one of my 10' - 12'
rods. When in my boat, I carry two 5'2" rods and two 9'
rods. The shorter rods are used for bridge fishing and dock
shooting and the longer rods are used for vertical fishing condos and
brushpiles. All rods are light to med light action and are
graphite.
Question - Do you use hi-viz line and why?
Answer - Yes.....because I like
to catch crappie. I honestly think that if you're not using
hi-viz line, you can be missing up to 50% of your
bites. First of all, crappie DO NOT SPOOK on hi-viz
line. I have proved this beyond all
doubt. Secondly, crappie have basically three different ways
that they will bite a jig. First and best, is the
"thump". They nail it, you feel it, and you
react. Second is the "tick". It's that bite that
you 'thought' you got, but weren't real sure. You don't
respond, and you just missed him. Third is the line
movement. The crappie takes the jig and you never feel
it. But if you're watching your line, you'll see it jump or
move to the side. If you can't see the line, you don't
react, and same scenario as the tick.....no fish. Get
yourself a good high quality hi-viz line and watch it every second it's
in the water. You'll catch more crappie.
Question - What is a condo?
Answer - Condo is a term that
my fishing partner, Ernest Paty, made popular here in North Texas, for
manmade structures that take the place of a brushpile. They
are generally made of PVC pipe, concrete blocks and maybe some wire,
2x4's and paint bucket parts. Sounds a little crazy, but boy
does it work. We have dozens of condos set in several
different lakes in North Texas, and all of them consistently produce
crappie year round. And the great thing about them is that
you don't get hung up in them like you do brushpiles.
Condos are 'food chain' generators. The PVC will start to
grow algae in about two weeks. That brings the smaller prey
to eat the algae. The game fish then come to eat the
prey. Believe me, they work.
Question - How do you fish a condo?
Answer - Just like you would a
brushpile.....vertically. You can fish near the bottom of
it, inside it, above it, etc. The crappie will hold in
different areas of the condo at different times.
Question - What does a condo look like on a graph?
Answer - Generally just like a
brushpile, depending upon how tall (short) you make
them. Our condos are about 10' in diameter and about 6-8'
tall. So they show up real well.
Question - I've heard of 'shooting' a jig or a dock. What does that mean?
Answer - Well first of all, it
doesn't involve a gun. "Shooting" a jig at a dock or
anything else is a form of casting a jig, without casting
overhand. It is much more accurate, you do not have to worry
about anything that might be overhead, and you can get your jig about
as far under a dock as you want using that method of cast. A
good 'shooter' can place a 1/16 oz jig between the dock and the water
(that may not be more than 12" apart), back up under the dock some
20'. Believe me; that's where the big crappie
live. Learn to 'shoot' and you'll be a much better crappie
fisherman. In a future update of my website, I'll try to
have pictures of just what dock shooting is all about.
Question - How do you fish bridges?
Answer - The columns on any
bridge are year round crappie hangouts. Most of the bridges
in North Texas have concrete columns. Those columns are
generally supported by concrete cross members that connect the
columns. I will generally pull up to a bridge column and let
my jig down to find out the depth of the cross member. Now
here's secret, so don't tell anyone.....I'll then mark my line with a
Marks-A-Lot just in front of my reel. Crappie will generally
hold either just above or just below the cross member. Now
each time I let my jig down, I know that I'm fishing exactly where the
crappie are. On the column itself, crappie can be holding at
any depth. And another tip; fish both ends of the bridge out
about four or five column sets before going to the
middle. Seems that's where most of the action is.
Question - Do you use a GPS for crappie fishing?
Answer - Wouldn't leave home
without it. I have a Lowrance GPS and two Lowrance graphs on
my boat, and use both in conjunction with the other to locate those
previous 'hot spots'. Aside from possibly my rod/reels,
these are the two most important pieces of equipment that I
own. My success as a guide is based as much on these two
units, as anything in/on my boat. If you don't have one, get
one and LEARN TO USE IT. All too often I see guys with a
$400 GPS on their boat, without a clue as to how to incorporate it in
to the fishing plan. If you have one or both of these items
and don't know how to use them, hire a guide for a day and tell him
that's your main goal. It will be well worth the guide trip
expense.
Question - My graph has a fish ID/alarm setting on it. Should I turn it on to tell me when I locate fish?
Answer - In my opinion, the
fish ID setting on graphs is the biggest misconception that there
is. And that goes double for the "fish
alarm". When you turn this setting on, everything that your
signal intercepts above the bottom will be shown to you as a
fish. That includes tree branches, bait fish, alligators or
scuba divers. And as for the fish alarm; I think I'd rather
be sitting next to a buoy with a bell on it than to listen to that
alarm. You simply don't need the fish ID or the
alarm. Learning to use your graph in the normal mode setting
is much more desirable. In this setting, you can see fish,
bait fish, trees, tree branches, grass, thermoclines,
etc. If you don't know what you're looking at in this
setting, it is well worth the time and expense to hire a guide and tell
him that you want to be taught to read your graph. Because
once you become proficient at it, you'll be catching more crappie.
Question - How would you suggest that I start my son/daughter off crappie fishing?
Answer - I would not suggest
that you start your child off crappie fishing until you have taken them
fishing several times with a bobber and a can of worms. My
first recollection of fishing was on a creek bank with a bamboo pole
and a can of worms. I caught fish. It didn't
matter what fish, because I was catching fish, and that was all that
mattered. Crappie fishing can at times, be very difficult
and frustrating....even for adults. So get your son or
daughter started off right. It doesn't matter whether
they're on a creek bank or in a boat. What does matter is
that they catch fish. After that, then take them crappie
fishing, but take minnows. In other words, work your way up
to the jig fishing. Build that kids love for fishing, and
when he or she is ready, challenge them with the
jig. Believe me, doing it any other way is something that
you will regret for many years to come.
Question - How do I pick a good guide to take me crappie fishing?
Answer - Boy.....loaded
question. Seriously, not by the luck of the draw or by
price alone. When you want to book a guided trip, consider
that you'll be spending the majority of the day in a very confined
space (boat) with probably a complete stranger. So use
other people's experience to guide you. When considering a
guide, ask for references. If he won't give you any; go
somewhere else. Ask for pictures or testimonials of his
clients. Ask what kind of boat you'll be in, and the
age/condition of the boat/motor. Ask him what experience he
has on the lake you're interested in fishing. Ask him how
long he has been guiding and fishing for crappie. If you
have any special needs or requirements, ask him if he can
comply. Remember, crappie fishing is fun, and barring that
fickled force of nature called weather; your guide should do everything
he can to make it fun and memorable.
I hope this answers some of your questions for now. If it
doesn't, remember to send in any that you may have and they'll get
answered. I hope that we can fish together some day, and
until then..........good fishin'.
|
|
