Crappie fishing can be difficult at times, especially when a guy next to you is putting on a show. I was fishing on Iowa’s West Okoboji in 12 feet of crystal clear water and after I had 15 to 20 holes punched in a fishy spot. I was ready to start catchin’! Just before I dropped my line and flasher down, I grabbed my Vexilar Underwater camera to take a quick look.
That’s when I noticed a pile of good crappies and some gills just underneath my feet. I pulled my camera out and started to fish, but the only thing I could catch were the nice blue gills. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem but the beautiful slab crappies the guy right next to me was catching started to make me sick. I mean he was putting on a true clinic and I didn’t like it. I don’t like to be out smarted by fish and that’s exactly what was happening.
Why was he catching crappie and I was I catching gills? We were both fishing the same structure and we both had flashers going. I tried everything to get those fish to bite so after I tried multiple baits in many different colors and sizes I just couldn’t take it any longer and I had to ask him what he was doing so different.
In a humble voice I asked, “Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing so differently?” “It’s all about the first drop,” he replied. “You need to keep jumping hole to hole and make that first impression.” I’d noticed him jumping holes, but I didn’t think that had anything to do with the fish he was catching. So after he said “The first drop” I asked myself, “Wow, could it be true that they will only hit on the first drop?” Continue reading….
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