Springtime is here and the crappie are
on the banks. Most people will employ the ever popular minnow and
bobber. There are those however that prefer to use artificial only
presentations and for those this technique could be of interest.
Early spring is a great time to be on the water in search of crappie.
Crappie tend to take up residence in some impenetrable brush that can
be hard to present a crappie jig effectively, without hanging up.
These brush piles can be tough to fish but they also tend to hold a
lot of crappie because it is so hard to fish and many anglers just do
not risk hanging up to fish the thickest part of the brush leaving
behind a gold mine for the bobber jiggers.
Many of you have probably heard of or
read about the float and fly technique, a great presentation for
lethargic smallmouth bass when the water is cold. This same method is
deadly on springtime crappie whether they are active or not. A
crappie tube or grub is tied below your favorite bobber at a depth
that fits the situation. Usually in the spring the crappie can be
found in one to two feet of water unless a cold snap hits then the
crappie are still there just back out a little deeper to find them.
You might have to use a slip bobber in this situation but it works
just the same.
When bobber jigging in deep water you
should pull the bobber toward you then allow it to sit. The first
sign of a bite set the hook as the crappie will spit the jig quick if
it doesn't taste right. This is one time you should not wait until
the bobber goes under to set the hook like when fishing live bait.
This method works great but this article is directed more to the
shallow crappie in thick cover. Slip bobber jigging is another
presentation that deserves its own article to fully explain it and I
will touch on that in the future when the crappie begin to suspend in
deeper water. For now let's talk about bobber jigging in thick
shallow brush.
You can see the rig in the image
above. Simple right? It is but this rig can do many things Important
to catching a limit of crappie from heavy cover. Normally the jig is
set only one to two feet from the bobber. When the crappie are moving
up they are usually in water this shallow but even if they are four
to six feet deep they will come up and get it as long as the color
and size is right which is very important. The size of the jig you
use can usually be determined by two things. Water temp. and size of
crappie your lake produce. Now I have caught some slabs on tiny tubes
but to catch numbers you should adjust the size accordingly. As for
color it has been my experience that a certain color seems to just
work better on certain lakes. You probably already know what color
works best on your home waters and if not just experiment with many
different colors until you find that magic combination. On one of the
lakes I fish red flake body with chartreuse tail is the ticket.
Sometimes it is a tube and sometimes it is a curly tail. It all
depends on what the crappie want that day. Usually the tube works
best when the fish are a bit sluggish after a cold front while the
curly tail grub works best when the fish are active.
Now finally the benefits of bobber
jigging over just a straight jig. The beauty of bobber jigging for
crappie is the ability to place your tube or grub smack in the middle
of the thickest brush but from a distance. The amount of water that
covers the brush determines the depth you should set your jig or
tube. You want your jig to penetrate the brush without getting hung
up. Crappie will come up and get a well placed jig especially when it
is jigging in the same spot for several seconds and this can be
accomplished with the bobber and jig combo.
My favorite way to bobber jig is to
throw into thick brush placing the jig into a hole in the brush. I
let the jig soak in this hole for a few seconds. Many bites come on
this pause, especially if the color is right, without ever moving the
jig. After a few seconds you should twitch the bobber ever so
slightly. Many times the crappie will strike immediately on the
pause. If the fish are sluggish you may want to twitch and pause in
this spot for up to a minute before moving to the next hole in the
brush. No need to reel in and cast. This rig allows you to pull the
jig out of that hole and place it in another. By pulling steady the
jig will glide up and over the limbs allowing you to set the jig in
another hole in the brush where you can begin the twitch pause
sequence again.
This technique is very effective for
springtime crappie and can help you catch crappie that other angler
may not have even tried for. Presenting your jig from a distance is
key when the crappie are so shallow. The bobber allows you to present
your jig vertically and keep it there indefinitely allowing for a
slower presentation. Pulling the jig from one hole in the brush to
another takes some practice but can be mastered in no time. Another
great thing about this rig is that you can use a very light jig head.
The weight of the bobber allows you to cast from a distance and the
selection of bobbers on the market today can definitely help adjust
for some very long cast. The lighter bighead makes it easier to pull
from one hole to another as it will lift in the water much easier as
you pull the bobber toward you. Be sure to drop the jig in the hole
and not the bobber as the jig is trailing the bobber and will hang on
the limbs you are attempting to clear. If the water is anything but
muddy you should be able to see the jig as you move it on the pull.
Springtime crappie fishing is a
popular pastime in the midwest and the lakes can become fairly
crowded with anglers probing the very brush piles that you plan to
fish. Bobber jigging can be your ace in the hole and will help you
pull crappie from seemingly impenetrable brush that has been pounded
for hours before you even get there. Be patient and learn this
technique this spring. You won't be disappointed.
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