Everyone has their way of getting the juice going. I like to see that pole bend when a crappie hits the lure as it slides by. Sometimes it a really hard hit and the rod just bends over double. Other times the bite is a fairly soft/light, and the rod just slowly bends and then stays bent. You can get hard bites and soft bites trolling, but you don't "feel" the thump, you see the thump in the way the rod bends, and how fast it bends when they hit. On occasion, you hear the thump when the rod jumps and rattles around in the rod holder. Time to wake up, put the coffee and donuts down, and reel a fish in.
GO BIG ORANGE !
I meant to behave, but there were just way too many other options available at the time.