Hammer Time

BY DAN CHASON

The month of June is one of my favorites when it comes to snatching crappie. Whether you fish a lake with deep water or an old shallower oxbow, there are a few techniques in June that can really add meat to your live well. Allow me to describe a few:

STANDARD JIGGING
This method is accomplished with a 10 foot or longer jig pole (I recommend a quality pole such as a BnM) and your choice of jig. Jigs as in any lure selection come in all shapes, sizes and colors. The best way to figure out what color and size is through a little research. What is the water clarity? What kind of cover is there? What is the history on the lake as to color preference? It is hard to go wrong with basic color patterns: Black/chartreuse, pink and electric chicken and the basic hair jig in shad colors are hard to beat. It is best to determine your head size by the type of cover being fished. The biggest mistake people make in picking a jig size is they go too heavy on the jig head. Crappie are a predator fish and like to hit something on the fall. If the cover allows it, go light with a 1/16 and graduate up as allowed. A heavier jig head allows you to fish faster and cover more water, but you will miss many finicky bites if the conditions are not right. Kind of the unknown rule is to fish heavier jig heads pre-front and go lighter after a weather front comes through. The fish tend to hold tighter to cover after a front so you need to slow down to capitalize on that bite.

BRUSH TOPS
If you want to extend your days on the water, there is no better way than to sink brush tops for crappie. Look for ditches or creeks and lay these tops along these honey holes. I use almost exclusively willow tops. Cut the tops into lengths of around 2 to 3 feet and place in a bucket. Pour concrete and let it settle and drop them. Another method I like is to take the whole top and lay it flat where the top of the brush top/tree is laying over the creek. This attracts bait fish such as shad which attracts crappie and bass. The way to “freshen” your tops is a well kept secret I will share. Take a knee high panty hose and fill with rice bran. Tie to a brick and drop in your tops. Shad love the rice bran and it tends to hold them on the tops for longer periods of time. Remember to always lay a top where you are dropping a jig “with the grain”. Pulling a jig into a top the wrong way means lots of hang ups and lost jigs.

SPIDER RIGGING
This method is probably the most deadly during the heat of summer. I use a 4 pole rig and put a 14 foot pole, then a 12, 11 then 10 in that order. This keeps the jigs from tangling and is especially helpful when you get a fish on the line. Spider rigging is very simple. Look on your graph and find the thermocline. This is going to be a line you can see going from right to left across your screen. Remember that crappie ALWAYS feed up. If the thermocline is at say 10 feet, fish just above that with your rigs. I start with pole 1 and put it out at one depth with color A, then the second pole has a different color and depth, and so on. When you get bit, change all over to that depth and color.

Trolling a spider rig is not hard. If you don’t know the contour you are fishing, look for obvious patterns. A point coming off the bank will indicate a depth change in the waters out from it. Ditches flowing into the lake, bridges and boat docks usually have structure close. Graph these and make a plot. I triangulate instead of using the GPS. I get a mark such as a tree and make a straight course for it. I then return two boat lengths out and repeat.

Spider rigging is deadly in the summer even if you use a straight shiner. I stay away from live bait as it attracts all fish such as gar and bar fish. When I stay with straight jigs, I rarely catch a trash fish. Remember to keep a marker handy and throw it out when bit and make circles around it. Seeing visible bait such as groups of shad is a dead giveaway of a crappie hiding place.

LONG LINING
This method is a little more technical as it is dependent on a controlled speed with your trolling motor. It is almost impossible to do with a standard foot controlled motor or in high wind with same. The trick here is much like spider rigging but very dependent on electronics. Let out about 30 to 40 yards of line on the same rig but position the poles on the right or left of your boat. If you make a turn, do it slowly and concentrate on the poles’ tips. This method is very effective in deeper water and the depth of jigs are dependent on speed. I like to use a road runner type jig when long lining. I go heavier on the outside pole and lighten up until I’m at a 1/16 ounce on my inside line. Color patterns are the same but I find that brighter is better.

So the next time you are craving filet’s, try some different tactics. These tactics are tried and true and will put more fish in your boat. Remember to take a kid or veteran with you and catch one for me! See you next month.