Thread: me famous WHAT

Congrats!!!

Originally Posted by KDAVID1

We'll have to fight for that one--I'll start working out now

You and Big H need to be working out and get ready to do battle over which one of you get your boat wrapped first and while yall are doing that I will be having my wrapped LOL

Originally Posted by Big H trucking

I will fight from my knees

Rofl That'll work--I still got to work out some though

Originally Posted by maachuu

You and Big H need to be working out and get ready to do battle over which one of you get your boat wrapped first and while yall are doing that I will be having my wrapped LOL

ha--ole wise one Just like them nature shows--while the young bucks are fighting the older one's step in and take care of business.

kdavid just throw a snack cake on the ground and when old big boys bends over to get it just kick him thats all it take

Originally Posted by slabin

kdavid just throw a snack cake on the ground and when old big boys bends over to get it just kick him thats all it take

RoflRoflRofl you just made me laugh out loud and wake the wife up

Originally Posted by ScottV

Way to go Donnie! Are you gonna be the foldout? Lol

That'd take way too many pages!

GO SWINGING FOR SLAB CRAPPIE

Tournament angler and jig maker Donald Hersom has been both crappie fishing and tying jigs for over 33 years. During these years he single pole fishing cover , such as stumps by swinging the jigs his company Crappie Logic makes, around the stumps on rivers. He has caught more White Crappie than he can count on this one technique alone. It was single pole fishing with one of his hand tied jigs that lead him to his 3 pounds, 8 ounce crappie that he caught out of the Buttputter creek on a Grenada lake in Mississippi.
Hersom says that while the prime time to catch these crappie around the stumps is in June and July, there are other times that it will work as well.
“They hold very well to the stumps in June and July, but the rest of the year they are in and out. The crappie will move out in winter then move back in the spring and stay until the fall but for some reason they stay really good in the hot summer months. They are very predictable, especially in the hot summer months , they have shade, food, and cover, so I can always count on them being there”
Because the crappie are feeding around these stumps, knowing what they are feeding on can be considered an added benefit.
‘Mostly on the river it is shad . but they will feed on crawfish or any other small fry,” says Hersom.
For the fact that Hersom fishes this technique on river systems, the tide that day determines where the fish are positioned around the stumps along with what depth they will be positioned in the stump fields.
“If there is current, the fish will get on the eddy side of the stump, especially if it is a big round stump. But, where I fish on the river there isn't a whole lot of current. I fish anywhere from 5 to 8 feet. Most of the stump fields I fish are at that depth but you can fish the edge of the river channels new and old and they will have tons of stumps anywhere from 16 feet to 8 feet. These stum fields are mostly in the backwaters of the river or sloughs”
Part of having success catching both numbers and size of crappie, location and type of cover are a key part of both patterning the crappie, and the technique itself. When you first arrive at the river you will be fishing, it can be difficult to find a starting point when it comes to choosing a location to fish.
“Most of the trees I fish are dead hardwoods, like oak and pecan nut. I pick the ones that are really old, the older the better. I think the older stumps have more algae for minnows to feed on. A stump field consists of a lot of different stumps , some will be out of the water and some just under the water. Then, you have the logs that are just laid down, one of those three will produce your fish for that certain day. It is what I call having a pattern and one of those 3 will be your pattern for the day,” said Hersom.
When it comes to what approach to do once you find the right place to on the river you are on, the way you present your lure to these crappie holding around the stumps, can be key to helping you maximize your time and efforts, and in result, it will help you catch more and possibly bigger crappie with this technique.
“I don't Fancast for two reasons, one is I use a 12 foot jig pole with a rear seat reel so it's just a pitch and swing motion and I will always swing past the shady side of the stump first. I will drop the jig down by the stumps if the water is muddy. In the summer time it's all about stealth when your fishing a stump field in 8 feet of water or less. If the water is muddy I will just fish right down by the stump, making sure to fish all around it. The stumps are on the flats, but on the river what makes it nice is most of the flats have a ditch or a creek that runs in and out of the flat from the old river channel,” explained Hersom.
Hersom says that these fish are ambush mode and that he finds most of them on the shady side of the stumps and how willing they are to take your jig depends on the time of day .
“These stumps don’t have branches, but they all have root systems at the bottom that the fish will find cover in. I’m sure they find protection in the stumps from gar or what not , it is natural cover. The stumps are usually around 20 feet or so off the bank, the stumps will start with the occasional stump being close to the bank. They are really aggressive in the early morning, then they taper down a bit until the hottest part of the day when then they get really aggressive. The best time of the day for fishing this way is when it is really hot , around 11am to 3pm.
This technique is also very effective for when you are able to find the White crappie spawning around or in the stumps throughout the spring.
“These same stump fields are really good for pre-spawn. The fish will enter these stump flats and get on these stumps, most will go toward the bank, but a lot of them will spawn right in the stumps. Sometimes there is a little current on the river but mostly the big barges that come through produce a little current in these shallow stump fields” Hersom said.
Part of the success Hersom has with this technique is largely due to the jig itself all because of the colors of the jig, the fast fall that the jig has, the hair he uses when building these jigs, and finally the unique way these hand tied jigs swim and dart under the water.
“My hand tied jigs are like no other because of the way they are tied to imitate a bug's body and head, The body has a butt and a tail with legs. It’s unique because of the way it acts in the water , it really has a real baitfish style swimming action and with a twitch of your line you can make it look like a dying minnow with a darting type of action. They are tied with a a #2 matzuo sickle hook. The fall is pretty quick, but on this pattern I have found that in the hot summer months it’s best for it to swing by fast. They are pretty active in shallow water, but if your fishing another time like in the fall or the spring, you could slow it down with a 1/32nd ounce jig.
When it comes to the colors Hersom has had the most success with, but also has the most confidence, he chooses just five different colors.
“My favorite colors are pink and chartreuse , blue and chartreuse , purple-chartreuse , chartreuse and white, along with black and chartreuse.”
One of the most critical parts of this technique, according to Hersom, is the movements he is giving the jig, along with the type of casts he is making to the stumps.
“It is mostly just a reaction strike when it swings past the stump. I don’t give the jigs any movement. I am giving the jig just a swing of the jig pole and the jig makes a dead fall swinging past the stump, all I am doing is pitching and swinging the bait. I will swing the bait as far past the stump that I think the crappie are at. It’s all about finding a pattern. If you're catching them in 5 feet of water they can normally see the bait just swimming by. That is all you're doing with this technique, presenting them a swimming baitfish past their cover.”
Depending on where in the country you live, the size of the crappie you will be catching with this technique will vary based on many factors, such as the types of water you have around your home, as well as seasonal temperatures.
“On the river they average anywhere from a pound to a pound and a halve, but I have caught them in the 2 pound range as well. At 3 pounds, 8 ounce crappie is my biggest crappie that I have caught employing this technique,” explained Hersom.
One of the most fun an angler can have on the water while fishing is coming across of active schooling fish that are hungry and readily willing to eat your jig.
“Most of the time when you're fishing them there will be maybe one or 2 fish on each stump but if your fishing those deep water stumps on the edge of the river those will hold a school of crappie especially in the summer time,” Hersom noted.
As with every technique, Hersom has specific tackle that he uses consistently when swinging jigs to stumps.
“I use 6 pound high visibility gold line. The gold line is important because you’re swinging that lure with a lot of slack in the line. You can also see that tick in your line with the gold line because sometimes its’ a thump or just a tick in your line or sometimes your line will just go slack.”
The fisherman is known for the fact that they are always adding to their lures, such as trailers or scent. Hersom is no different than any of them.
“I don’t add a trailer but, sometimes I will use a crappie nibble or a spray like BANG to put a little scent on the jig.”
As to the specifics in terms of lures when it comes to this technique, Herson does not only just use the hair jigs he makes, he also uses soft plastic lures for this technique of pitching and swinging the stumps.
“If it is a hair jig, I will use one of my own Crappie Logic hair jigs in a pink and chartreuse, but if it is plastic I will use a slab bandit jig in the color Jokers Wild. All are fished on a 1/16th Oz jig head, they both will work well for this pattern.”
And because you will be fishing around wood, there is the possibility that you will get your jig hung up and break off, but, with this technique, Hersom says it’s a lot simpler to get your jig back his way.
“You can just poke the jig out if you get hung up. By using the 12 foot jig pole, it makes getting hung up really easy to get your jig back. I use a 12 FOOT B&M ULTRA LIGHT.”