Thread: What to buy for startup???

That is awesome!! I haven't even attempted to rig my boat yet. Just last year they passed a law allowing 3 rods. I have pole holders for drifting, but nothing like the crappie setups most of you guys have. I want to test my knowledge this year and see if I can't locate a few more local crappie hotspots.. Confidently, I have 6 spots where I know they spawn every spring in two different fishing locations.. Reading articles and this blog, it leads me to believe that off the spawn both pre and post they shouldn't be super far. I printed off maps of the resivior and lakes I fish, and just as it says I want to start shallow and fish deeper trying to locate the crappie. I know I will have multiple trips with little to no fish, but I feel like I can do this! If all fails this year I will try the guide. The boat is all ready, now the 4-6 inches of snow needs to pass and melt! I'm itching to get out and post some pictures! Hopefully I spend more time catching then reading advice on my cellphone while I am out!

One more thing this guy did was he had a long pole he had made up with 2 aluminum prongs about 6 or more inches long like a
long handled rake. He would put the boat right up into the thick grass matt then pull some holes into it with the long rake.
Then we dropped the jigs down into the holes. We caught far more by trolling but he said don't get hung up on just one method,
because some days it works and on others it wont. Another bit of information I might never have even heard about.

Here's my favorite stuff.....1/16 oz bullet heads, 1/16 oz round painted heads (bought on eBay), #4 sickle hooks, Bobby Garland baby shad, Kalin's Triple Threat shad, Crappie Magnets. I use 6 lb. line on my casting rods and 10 lb. line on my BnM jig pole for vertical jigging. I like Mr. Crappie camouflage line, but my dad likes the yellow line. Good luck. GTT

I appreciate the help everyone, hopefully this will assist me in become a crappie assassin!

Well there is no doubt in my mind as to the effectivness of jigs on any fish that swims if presented properly.
There would be better lures for trolling in order to locate fish, but once located a jig is king for catching them in my opinion.
My only argument might be all the (have to have) various color combinations available. Mind you I'm guilty,
as ive bought them also. But ive been using just a few colors and it dosent seem to matter.
So if a guy bought a selection of different weight unpainted jigs, and about 6 different color tails to put on them, would he be
at a big disadvantage over somebody who owns them all?

Originally Posted by yobuck

Well there is no doubt in my mind as to the effectivness of jigs on any fish that swims if presented properly.
There would be better lures for trolling in order to locate fish, but once located a jig is king for catching them in my opinion.
My only argument might be all the (have to have) various color combinations available. Mind you I'm guilty,
as ive bought them also. But ive been using just a few colors and it dosent seem to matter.
So if a guy bought a selection of different weight unpainted jigs, and about 6 different color tails to put on them, would he be
at a big disadvantage over somebody who owns them all?

Not necessarily, yobuck. I've got about 4 tackleboxes full of jigs & plastics of all makes and models, collected over 4 decades, and still find myself using 1/16oz jigheads & half a dozen different colors or color combinations to catch my fish.

Most of the time it's "presentation" that determines whether or not you get bit, and the style and color of the bait being used is usually second to that. And you can help matters by using a bait that's got contrasting colors, so that the fish can see the bait in most all water clarity conditions.

I mostly use darker colored bodies with lighter colored tails ... like most any color with a chartreuse tail (or belly) color. And that goes for casting or trolling methods, shooting docks, or vertical jigging techniques.

Thank you for your response. You've reinforced an opinion ive had for a long time regarding the importance of a specific color.
Ive done a considerable amount of canadien walleye fishing, and found that presentation was more important than color. In fact I wouldn't
hesitate to go there with just one color and size jigs for a week long trip. Also just one color and size spoons for pike, as well as the same
for the swimming type plugs like Rapala.

A good way to add to your arsenal of gear is to watch the local sports shops during the off season for clearance items. This past winter I found panfish sized jigs and plastic clearanced at Gander Mountain for .99 a pack. I've been in since and the same items are now 3x the price because its the season. I was able to stock a couple of boxes for very little cash.