Now is the time for still fishing a jig. They will ususally suspend
near the thermocline, which can be anywhere from 10-20' deep in most
places. Take your 12' rod, tie a jig on the end of the line, then hold
the pole straight up and down. Let line out until the jig is even with
the butt of the pole. This is all the line you need out. Now, drop the
jig straight down, and just let it set. Every few minutes, you can
slowly move the jig around a little. Soon, a crappie wil slam the jig.
Down-Jigging - After a cold front moves through, the barometric
pressure will go up, and the crappie will be uncoopertive.They will
usually go to the bottom in 10'-15' of water, with their noses tight in
cover. Hover your jig about 1' off the bottom for several seconds,
then, suddenly and sharply, drop your rod tip 2-3 inches, to
make the jig drop sharply.
The sudden drop often triggers strikes from fish that were too lazy to
hit even a stationary jig.
Slow -Rise -When down-jigging doesn't work, allow you jig to suspend
2-3 inches off the bottom for a few seconds, then slooooowly raise your
rod tip up abpout a foot. Hold it there for around 15 seconds, then
sloooowly allow it to drop back down. Be ready to set the hook at
anytime. Crappie will usually hit the jig on the rise, or fall.
Finger-Popping-in situations where the fish are a bit more aggressive,
you can trigger strikes by grasping the line above the reel between the
thumb and forefinger, With yoiu free fingers, repeadedly 'flick' the
line, making the jig 'dance' underwater. Any crappie watching the jig
can't resist nailing it.
High-Hopping-when crappie get inactive immediatly after spawning, here
is a trick to entice them a bit. Drop your line to within 2 inches of
the bottom, and set it set for a few seconds. The sharp[y pull up 2-3
feet, and let the jig fall back down. This can trigger some Vicious
strike.
Studying your quarry helps a lot. Learn about crappie habits, and use
these techniques and you will seldom get 'skunked'.
Happy Fishing
To get the full "Five Crappie Jig Fishing Secrets" article you'll need to download it here.
