Originally Posted by
Fishin_Magician
Rod Setup
Now for rod setup... I have two tite-lok black widow rod holders mounted on the bow and two on the stern of my boat. Each is a 4-bank holder. I use 10-12 ft crappie wizard poles and small spinning reels. Spooled with 4-8lb test depending on water clarity. I position the rods off the bow pointing straight out as much as possible. The more parallel to the boat the less bouncing with the waves the rod tips do. The worst possible angle for rods off the boat in wave action is 90-degree right angle. They bounce up and down allot positioned like that. I think it must be because the boat tends to rock more drastically side to side then bow to stern when encountering waves from wind or boat wakes.
Rigs
Then for the rigs... I use a number of them. Both with jigs and crappie hooks. A store bought "crappie rig" is a good start but I tie my own. I do not think the heavy line allows the minnow to swim freely enough. Simply put most my rigs are some sort of weight on the bottom of the rig followed by a series of dropper loops or leaders up the main line with jigs or crappie hooks tied to them. I like about 6-8 inch leaders off the main line. I use either a dropper loop or a three-way swivel. Swivel provides more breaking strength but tends to tangle more then the dropper loops. I rarely tie more then 4 hooks on one rig. Usually my 4 hook rigs are just an egg sinker at the bottom with small crappie hooks spaced about 12-14" apart up the line but I also use 1/16 oz jigs in the place of the hooks. (learned this from Slab Hunter) These I use different colors and commonly tip them with minnows. I also fish a rig with a 1/4th to 1/2oz jig at the bottom as the weight with drop leaders staggered above it off the main line. This basically makes your "egg sinker" into a lure you can pick up a few of the deeper holding fish with. But weather you use an actual weight or a jig as the "anchor" for your rig just be sure you use something heavy enough to hold the line vertical while in motion under the current water conditions. Depending on wind, current, speed and depth you could be using anything from 1/4th oz to 2 ozes or more just remember you want the least amount of weight that will keep the line angle virtually straight up and down. You do not want the lines sweeping up under the boat or out behind it. That would be long lining... :p
Lure
Ok now on to bait/lure/color... I use chartreuse more then any other color. I like it combined with black or red. But straight chartreuse is commonly the ticket for crappie. Only in very clear water will I occasionally go to more natural colors like white, grey, sparkle ect... but even then chartreuse commonly out performs the others. (for me!...) As for bait I use minnows. I tend to prefer Rosie Red minnows (also called toughies or fatheads) because the live longer and are more lively. Use small ones to tip jigs... I also use shinners but usually fish them alone on a crappie hook.
