When
the crappie are suspended sometimes it can be tough to keep your
presentation within the strike zone. The double jig rig works great
in doing this and can help you catch more suspended crappie. Crappie
will suspend in the water column at certain times of the season. This
technique works great when other anglers have given up after the
spawn and you can have the lake to yourself searching for suspended
crappie that have moved out to deeper water in the summer after the
spawn.
The
first step is to locate suspended crappie which should not be far
from suspended baitfish. Locating the baitfish can be enough to begin
your search with the double jig rig. To locate suspended crappie you
must have a quality fish finder. I would suggest using a colored fish
finder with a system to help mark the schools of crappie as well
as the baitfish so you know where to look for them again if you have
to leave in search of more schools or more active fish. This allows
you to return to that spot later to see if they will bite. Some
schools of crappie are more active during different times of the day
and its great to be able to return right to where you found the
school earlier.
The
double jig rig utilizes two jigs and allows you to present, to the
suspended crappie, two different colors whether you use the cast and
fall or vertical presentation. My favorite tube for this rig is the
Gary Yamamoto Tiny Ika. It is important that you keep the jigs close
in weight so the jigs fall together. You don't want one jig to fall
faster than the other as this could cause some tangles.
Using a Palomar knot tie on your first jighead leaving a two foot tag
end. At the end of this tag end tie your second jighead using the
same knot. Dress each jighead with a different color or type of skirt
like a tube or curly tail . The obvious notion is to see what the
suspended crappie want for that day or that body of water. I have
noticed over the years that certain colors work better on certain
lakes and I will stick with those shades and color combinations when
I am fishing that particular body of water. I still use two different
jigs but might not use a white jig if I never had any luck with that
color on that lake. I will put on a white skirt if I can't get them
to bite but more times than not the colors you have learned catch
crappie on that body of water will work the best. A journal is a
great tool for figuring out these little nuances where you fish.
Once
suspended crappie or baitfish are located on your fish finder, note
the depth. You can vertical jig the double jig rig or cast it out and
allow it to fall through the suspended crappie. Let the crappie tell
you what they want. The vertical presentation works great when the
crappie are suspended in or around cover. This presentation will help
limit hang-ups and with a good fish finder you can even see your
double jig rig on the screen and lower it into the suspended crappie
but keep it out of the cover. This is a great presentation.
When
the crappie are moving around and not relating to cover that is when
the cast and fall presentation works the best. Usually when suspended
crappie are moving around they are chasing baitfish and will move up
and down within the water column to get to them. This is when you
want to locate the scattered schools of baitfish which is usually a
certain location on the lake. Once the location of these scattered
pods of baitfish are located you can cast into the open water
allowing the double jig rig to fall on a tight line occasionally
giving the jigs a couple twitches as it falls. You can see the max
depth of crappie on your fish finder. It is important to keep your
presentation above the max depth to increase your bites. After a few
crappie take your jig you will learn the depth and color of jig that
works. Sometimes the two different colors perform the same but most
times there is a color that gets more bites. This is when you put
that color on the second jig and continue your day until the limit is
in the livewell or you are tired of catching crappie. I can say I
never have got tired of catching any fish especially crappie on the
double jig rig. Great fun.
