Thread: Lake Monticello Sat

On Dec 1st the size limit goes off and you have to keep the first 20 fish you catch because they are deep and will die anyway if you turn them loose. I laughed at my buddy from Crossett yesterday morning when he hollered to me "this is depressing....I've barely been here an hour and I am fixing to have to leave". But he did have some good ones. You just have to find another spot if you start catching small ones. Jerry, I use a 3/8 oz worm sinker ahead of three #5 round shot for the weight. I slide the round shot about 18-20 inches above the jig and the worm weight is above the round shot. I put the shot on the line fairly loose so I can slide them on up the line when I have to replace a jig or retie. I use one 1/16 oz jig only....I hate tangles and you will catch more fish in the long run with one hook instead of wasting time with a tangle. When fishing in really deep water like LM when putting the lines out I throw the jig out 25-30 feet away from the boat and close the bail on the reel so that the jig will swing down like a pendulum. When the line is fairly vertical I then lower it on down to the bottom and then give the reel 2-3 cranks and put in rodholder. If you drop it fast straight down it has a tendency to tangle the jighook in the weight. I always use a Nibble and troll very slow staying over the schools. It is a lot of bumping the TM and coasting till the lines are vertical then bumping it again. I use 4 poles in front on LM because of the depth. It is a different style of fishing from a lot of folks (some people say "that ain't real crappie fishin") but it works for me and is a heck of a lot of fun. I am not crazy about the "Deep Sea Fishing" on LM but I do like to reel those specks in! I stopped using the crankbaits on LM because of the Largemouth bass that will tangle every line down before you get them to the top. The right jigs are working very well right now and we didn't catch anything but crappie yesterday (not even a single pesky yellow hybrid!).