Help: Spider Rigging Set Up

[Mamba334]

NEW TO SPIDER RIGGING:

I have been watching video after video. Reading Forum after Forum. I TRUST YOU guys.

I was thinking of ordering these Drift Master Slab Knocker Rod Holders. Anyone else have them?

B & M Poles or Mr. Crappie poles? 12 ft good for beginners?

Marine 31 Battery?

Any websites offering a good 24v Trolling Motor?

Things I have been researching.

Thanks!

[ShilohRed]

Those drift masters will work. Lots of others out there that are better at adjusting both height and rod movement. Theres a member on the Board that sells great holders. check out EZ and his rod holders. What ever you get it needs to be rock solid.

12ft would be easier to start out with, but it will not be long if you fish shallow water. Until your upgrading to longer rods. I was one of those that started with 16ft rods and went back down to 14ft rods..

Group 31 battery's was what I used to use. But found out even with my heavy Lund, I never ran out of battery with my Terrova 24 volt TM. And I use one harder then most when I'm fishing the Tn River. It may be on #6 or higher for hours. I now use group 27's for the weight savings..

Best bet find someone close to you that you can fish with a few times. That way your putting the rods in your hands while fishing. Even if you have to pay a guide for a day. It may well be worth it to learn all you can. Then spend the cash one time. But then again none of us are ever happy with what fishing tackle we have.. I want one more Helix 10, new set of 16ft B&M's, set of 8 and 12's.. New Auto deploy and stow TM.. AS you can see it never ends.. Welcome to the dark side of fishing.
Pete

[trypman1]

The Mr. Crappie poles 12', 4 for 90 from Grizzly Jig co. 27 or 29 battery will be fine. EZ-pole for pole holders.

[Erin Brewer]

I would definantly get with EZ on the pole holders the spyderlocs are great! The 12' rods will also work, thats what I started out with. I actually started out with westpoint crappie rods. I would suggest to make sure and purchase graphite rods instead of fiberglass. the sensitivity of the graphite is way above that of the cheaper fiberglass rods.

[Mamba334]

Thank you all so much for the helpful input!!

[Nutbush]

Hey from one novice to another. I have recently bought some of those little bells that you see on people's clothes and hats. Some are silver and some are gold. I tied one to each tip of my pole and fished it last time out. Those things really help on hearing bites. If you happen to do the same thing, just make sure to tie it loose and not tight. You can find them at Walmarts in the craft section. I also have the 12' rods. They seem to work fine. I don't catch the limit, but enough for supper.

[CrappiePappy]

I started with 10' rods ... fishing out the back of a buddy's boat. When I decided to add this method to MY fishing, I bought a 14' BnM PST rod (and still used the two 10' rods) and a couple of the 4 rod Hi-Tek holders (& 4 base plates). I've since added two 14' BnM Capps/Colman rods (which have a softer tip than a PST). Now ... I don't "spider rig", per se, but usually push jigs & cranks. I do well to keep up with the 3-4 rods, so I've never seen the need to purchase more long rods or use both rod holders up front.

While I do prefer to cast ... having this minimal setup does offer me more choices in the ways I can fish. And it has produced fish when casting wasn't productive.

I have a 42# thrust 5spd 12v TM that I ran on one series 27 deep cycle marine battery ... and it worked well for moving around & casting and such, but would only give me 4hrs of pushing jigs at any appreciable speed. I've since gone to a series 29 battery and it seems to hold up much better. If I wired two of them in parallel, I wouldn't expect any problems with pushing jigs @ 0.8mph for the whole day ... let alone spider rigging @ 0.2-0.5mph.

There are a host of different styles of rod holder, and most owners will tell you "theirs" is the best. Take a look at Hi-Tek, Driftmaster, Bee Ready, Cumberland Crappie 360, Spyderlock, or even the single rod rod holders (if you don't mind drilling a lot of holes in your boat) ... and decide which one looks to have all the features YOU would need. And if you suffer sticker shock when you look at their prices ... keep your eyes on the Personal Classifieds Forum (that's where I bought mine), as there are deals to be had, not only on rod holders, but long rods as well.

[Mamba334]

Thanks guys!

@ CrappiePappy, you sound like me! I have never been a spider rigger myself either. We went last night and it was cold. I had my 7 ft Ugly Stick in one hand and my 6'5 Ultra Light in my other double minnows on both lines...not one bit. Showing fish at 24 fow. But anywho.

I was leaning towards Mr. Crappie poles Mr. Crappie® Fishing Rods

Just not sure which one to go with. My fishing buddy uses 12 footers and he does pretty good, so I was looking to get 2 14 footers. I got spinning reels on mine with 6 lb Clear Vicious Line.

Lately, I've been tight-lining, but I am so used to just trolling. I've always hated tight lining because it's so dang hard to tell when to stick em! Lol.

But could you point me to the BnM poles you have?

[Tracker123]

My opinion is that the crappie could care less about what is above the water line - poles, reels, etc. Only below the water line when it comes to line, terminal tackle, bait, etc. Fish with a rod and reel that you are comfortable with.

[CrappiePappy]

But could you point me to the BnM poles you have?

If you're asking me ... I have three 14' rods : a Prostaff Trolling rod (PST) and two Capps & Coleman rods. I usually use 1/2oz barrel weights on the main line ... and the PST rod has a slightly stiffer tip. All three rods bend down about the same distance with the same weights on, but the C/C rods do so from farther back up the rod.

My buddy Chucky (also a member) uses the C/C rods because he says lite bites can be detected easier with them, due to their more limber tip. I have to take his word for it, since I don't really "spider rig" with them. I push jigs & at a higher rate of speed than spider rigging calls for, and all the "bites" I've experienced with the rods have been the rod tips instantly burying in the water. He fishes slower and tips his jig/plastics with a minnow, so he's subject to more subtle bites.

The PST and the Capps & Coleman rods are both BnM products. I do believe, however, that Grizzly Jigs sells them at a lower price than BnM's website. I didn't buy any of my three from either place, but the retail price at Grizzly Jigs is usually $10-$20 lower ... and the shipping should be pretty much the same between the two. Grizzly Jigs also offers an even lower price when you purchase 3 rods at a time.