What is “spider rigging?”

Spider rigging is a technique for Crappie fishing that  may not be legal in all areas.  Before attempting to use this technique you’ll want to find out how many rods fishermen are allowed to have in the water at one time.  Spider rigging is simply a term for attaching several rods in rod holders around the bow of the boat.  Once the poles are mounted, you can then troll or drift over areas in which you’ve identified schools or large concentrations of Crappie. The term “spider rigging” comes from the fact that a boat that is trolling with multiple poles hanging over the sides resembles a spider.   While there are many types of poles to choose from, the 10 foot graphite pole is a popular choice for this type of Crappie fishing.  Inexpensive spinning reels work just fine and you’ll want to stick with about a 6 pound line. When mounting the pole holders, you’ll want to make sure that they’re in front of where you’re sitting and won’t be in your way but that you can also still reach them quickly.  By staggering the depths of each pole, you’ll cover a lot of ground in very little time.  Once you’ve gotten a bite, you can then set all your poles to the same depth.