Thread: Another trip in the books.

Very nice trip it sounds like!!!!!!

Sounds like a dang good trip. One tip I can give you on those real shallow fish (YEH, folks on here will call me a yankee, LOL) Use a cork with a couple extra feet of line out. Give them a chance to take the bait before they feel the pull. I'll put corks on if the waves are yanking the bait up and down

Originally Posted by DonDon

Sounds like a dang good trip. One tip I can give you on those real shallow fish (YEH, folks on here will call me a yankee, LOL) Use a cork with a couple extra feet of line out. Give them a chance to take the bait before they feel the pull. I'll put corks on if the waves are yanking the bait up and down

Thanks DD. Will try it.

Great read, glad yall came away smelling like fish.

On the subject of missing shallow fish and on lighter action rods, I feel your pain. I miss my B&M C&C rods everytime I have one do it to me, but at 16 ft. long, when ya got 2 fish on while simultaneously fighting a 12 mph crosswind by yaself, the fun only had begun once the hook set was complete- hauling in a sow with those 16 ft. long limber things was a challenge!

I have tried many things and the cork idea is a good one. Another thing I'll resort to (after ensuring that the basics are covered, like checking hook sharpness) is putting on some of the Rockport Rattler 3 hook jig heads. I'll also try opening up the gap and also pinching the barb down.

Another thing I'll do- and this ain't far from the cork technique in the fact that I gotta teach myself to WAIT a split second before I take action- is to put a SMALL OFFSET circle hook on. Small because the fish will suck it down their gut easier with the minner. Once the fish feels and spits the hook, it is at that time that the hook- by design- rolls out into the top/side of their mouth. As we know, a circle is intended for just this purpose: inhaled into the gut and exhaled without harming the fish. The caveat is that the fisherman must train himself to WAIT and then ease pressure into the fish. If he does that, hook sets are just as high as normal j hooks. From my rod and reel flathead catfishing days, I got better at waiting, but it can still be hard to do. Bank on it: The first couple I'll pull the hook out on.

I use the same circle hook technique on windy days to combat bouncing rods and finicky fish. With a normal Kentucky rig tied up, I use circle hooks instead. The main factor is that I am essentially drop shotting because I have a carolina keeper above and below the drop lines; that way I can slide the bait to the depth I want. So fish in 20 FOW holding 10 ft deep, I put weight on bottom, slide hooks to 10 ft and rod bounce is no longer an issue. The issue then is seeing line movement which usually happens when the hook is spit out. Solution? Self-hooking Circle hooks.

If those techniques fail, I say screw it and reach for the dynamite.

Again, great read!

Wow. Talk about a great read. Thanks.

I went to drop shot rigs with circles last fall. Never thought of using them for this reason. I make my own using drop shot swivels from Barlow tackle. Need to tie some shallow single rigs that way for sure. Gonna bargain hunt up some c&c rods to try as well. I could not get my hands on 3 hook rattlers with big enough hooks in time for this trip. I did have trailer hooks but forgot to try them. Duh.

I too am a catfish guy. We back troll the Mississippi in St. Louis. Basically giant size spider riggging and use 10/0 circles 12 ounces weights and 100 pound braid and 1 1/2 pound sunfish for bait. My second passion.

Sounds like a great trip! Congrats! Harrison was inducted into the outdoor hall of fame here recently! He is a great guy and I enjoy picking his brain. A ton of knowledge for such a short guy. Ha. Those fish on a short line like that are tough. There's all kinds of tricks u hear about but the number 1 trick is learning to jig fish with pole in hand. I've been wading since I started and prefer to wade fish crappie over anything, even a good marlin trip! It's an art to keep a super tight line and getting that fish close to u, so close to to grab, without a net! Ha. I see guys carrying nets now wading, tickles me. Good luck and if u ever get a chance hop out of the boat and give it a shot. I think it's Gods way of fishing

Spider rigging super shallow fish is tough but productive, another tip is to keep your rods hi, like 3 foot off the water and it gives you some extra line out to help. Fish don't seem to care that the rod tip isn't dead on the water and lets you see the line move easier.

Which of the big 3 lakes in Mississippi is the hottest right now for crappie? Sardis, Enid or Grenada?