Getting a little down

[Spoonminnow]

Here's a pictorial reply to much of the above:
Sonar: a picture speaks :

Water temp turned off or on - who cares, you're fishing regardless.
Baitfish mixed with crappie or other panfish - a sure sign fish are near and catchable mid-depth.
Bottom is hard showing stumps.
A color unit goes for less than $100 and can be hooked to a motorcycle battery if you're rowing. I made my transducer portable:


I made this buoy marker from a kid's splash toy and chuck it overboard in the direction of multiple fish strikes especially if the wind is blowing the boat:

Knowing exactly where fish hit is extremely important !

Never used a loop knot and won't start now:



Note lure color brightness. If the water is murky it might make a difference.
Note: all jigs pictured are unpainted. (less distraction from the lure or make it look larger to fish than desired)

Line diameter affects lure action. That rule is set in stone! For light lures, the thinner the better. Most photos show braid attached to the jigs and not just any braid.
Jig weight and hook size are matched to plastic lure length or how fast or slow I need to retrieve the lure.
Couldn't have said this better:

Lose the float. Cast the jig out and swim it back slowly. Change depths until you find fish.

Floats work some of the time but waste time in an area where fish aren't biting. (though I do like seeing a float dive multiple times when the float bite is on !)


At times species don't mix, but at other times you may catch four species in an large square-foot area all day long. If bass and sunfish are the most prominent species to hit your baits for consecutive weeks, could be the crappie population is depleted. You won't know for certain unless you fish a water early and late in the year if the summer crappie bite has been tough. Fish move and associate so don't assume anything.