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Crappie Fishing While Trolling: Learn The Basics!
The nice thing about having a boat is you can learn to troll and find the large crappie schools. Some fisherman get frustrated when they spend all day trolling for crappie and they may not catch a thing. What they don't realize is they are not set up properly to catch crappie using the trolling technique. I would like to show you a way to troll for crappie and actually catch fish. Once you start catching crappie stop your trolling and start having fun reeling in your catch.
Equipment you will need:
Boat
You need to have a good trolling motor
Jigs that have a red head and a white or yellow body.
The jigs should have a variety of different weights.The weight of the jig will determine how deep you are trolling. You want to have a variety of crappie rigs trolling at the same time at a variety of different depths.
This setup is commonly known as a Shotgun Effect.
Locations To Start your Crappie fishing trolling
Crappie love structure so you want to start trolling near rock points, know stump areas, know sunken wreak areas, Think of any where a crappie could hide as a predator and dart out and return after catching his prey. I would start by identifying area's on a topographical map. This is a excellent way to create a game plan to start your fishing trip.
Your Trolling For Crappie Set Up
You can start your troll using live bait. Hook the minnow through the bottom and top of his mouth. (this will prevent the minnow from drowning) Use ½oz or 3/4oz weight on the end of the line.
Immediately after you catch your first crappie stop the boat!
Know the secret tip to identify exactly where that school is located.
You are going to use the crappie you just caught to find where the school of crappie is exactly located.
Step #1 You will want to place a hook through the back of the crappie. Make sure not to run it too deep. You do not want to harm the crappie. The crappie needs to be able to swim freely. Now attach a line about 10ft in length. Place a large bobber on the other end.
Step#2 Let your scout fish lead you to the main crappie school. Just follow the floating bobber.
Step#3 VERY IMPORTANT stay far enough behind your scout fish so you cannot be seen by the schooled crappie.
Step#4 When he gets back to his home and all his buddies in the school and probably his favorite structure area, cast your line into the area from a safe distance. (If you spook the fish you will have to start all over again in a different area.
Step#5 Keep fishing the general area until you fish it out. If you don't have enough fish, start the trolling for crappie exercise all over again at a different spot.
Step#6 You would be surprised how many fishermen never do step 6 and it is probably one of the most important step for future fishing trips. Mark the spot on your topographical map . If you have a GPS enter the coordinates immediately so you do not forget. Remember you want to learn from every fishing trip.
Step#7 If you want to get real technical put a dot for every fish that was caught at this location. And if you want to get even more technical record the weather conditions .
Store this tip in your crappie fishing arsenal , then the next time you go out fishing you can plan your trip using this trolling for crappie fish technique. GOOD FISHING AND GOOD LUCK! |
