Pulling crankbaits is an aggressive method for crappie but one that can pay big dividends. It either works or it doesn’t with different waters giving very different results. Here’s a quick rundown. Why? Crappie spend much of their summer suspended in open water. Slow presentations won’t work because fish are not holding tight to a ledge, stump or other cover. Trolling allows you to deliver baits to many suspended fish in a short period of time. The fish will hit due to hunger or reaction.
“Story & Photo by Tim Huffman”
Trolling crankbaits have other advantages including being a great tactic when it’s windy. Long lining absorbs the rocking of the boat so there is no adverse bait bouncing. Another great advantage is scouting while fishing. A six-hour fishing trip trolling at 2.0 miles per hour lets you look at 12 miles of lake bottom. Mark GPS spots where you find good structure and cover for fishing later with slower methods.
How? “There are two ways to rig for long line trolling, complicated or simple,” says professional guide, Todd Huckabee. “Two fishermen in a tournament will probably be using eight poles situated in holders. The trick is to keep baits separated so they don’t tangle. All poles are rigged with different baits until the fish show which one they prefer, then rig most of the poles are switched to that color.”
Huckabee says his favorite colors vary from lake to lake with pink or black working good for him Mississippi while Oklahoma colors are chartreuse or white. It takes experience and test-fishing to know for sure.”
The second setup is great for the weekend fisherman. Forget the holders that take up room and are costly. Each fisherman in the boat can hold a pole in his or her hands. It’s simple and there is no doubt when a fish hits.
Catching Fish. Bernard Williams is a crappie guide in Mississippi and fishes competitively in national tournaments and with the Magnolia Crappie Club. He sets up with BnM Pro Staff Trolling poles, Okuma line-counter reels, 15-pound test Power Pole braid, and Minn-Kota Autopilot trolling motor. “I like the braided line because it gets down a lot quicker so baits don’t have to run as far back,” says Williams. “Using the trolling motor keeps the noise down so it doesn’t bother the fish to have the baits closer.”
He, like most other fishermen, runs at around 1.5 to 2.0 mph, with 1.7 being a common speed. He likes to target 12- to 15-foot deep flats that are holding balls of shad. He says Bandit crankbaits are the most popular for crappie but most of his cranks are Brad’s Baits just for a different sound and look.
“I like to ‘wildcat’ my baits,” says Williams. “I’ll turn my boat one way and then the other. The fish see the speed up and slow down of the baits and it seems to trigger strikes.”
Brad Whitehead, Alabama crappie guide, also pulls crankbaits. He fishes from a 17-foot War Eagle boat. He keeps things simple with spinning reels. He counts the pulls of line he strips out from the reel to set the depth. When he hooks a fish he marks the line with a Magic Marker to quickly return to that depth. His favorite colors are natural or bluegill colors in Strike King or Bandit baits.
Final Comments. Trolling crankbaits isn’t for every body of water. But for those who give it a try on a body of water where it works, will have enjoyable, great fishing. Pulling crankbaits around in the water isn’t rocket science but it does require some basic rules to achieve maximum results. September is a good time because the water is still warm enough and pleasure boat traffic is much less than before Labor Day.
Contact Information: Bernard Williams, 601-454-0196; Brad Whitehead, 256-483-0834; and Todd Huckabee at 405-520-8980.
More Crappie Articles. To learn more about fall crankbaits, fishing ledges, bumping stumps, and thermoclines, visit the September issue of CrappieNow Magazine, www.crappienow.com.