Quote Originally Posted by crappiemax View Post
As you know, lots of variables come into play when choosing a head size. Wind is one example and speed/depth control is another. Especially with deeper fish a heavier head will allow a faster retrieve while maintaining a deeper presentation. With a lighter head a much, much slower speed would need to be used to maintain that same depth. I have seen where just a slight adjustment in (faster/slower, deeper/shallower) presentation could mean a significant increase/decrease in catch vs. hits ratio.
Last weekend we fished a school that was 9-12' deep in 14-16 FOW. Most of the time we had very little (if any) wind to contend with. We started with 1/16 oz heads. We got bit but it was pretty slow. Even though we were getting hits we weren't hooking many, maybe 1 out of 10 or 15. In a short time we switched to a slightly heavier 3/32oz head. Action immediately picked up and we were hooking about 60% of our hits. We switched plastics around too from stingers to swimbaits to tubes. Eventually orange/chart tubes won out.
More than anything I suspect the larger heads allowed us to give the faster action the fish wanted in the deeper water.
I will say we even tried some 1/8 oz heads to see if we could improve our success even more but it seemed to have more of a negative effect so we switched back to the 3/32.
Yep, lots of variables....I mainly bank fish which has a whole different set of rules, than when I fish from a boat with friends!
From the bank wind is my biggest concern, line bow effects the feel and action, but you also have to understand that you are dragging shallow...too heavy a head and you are donating to Mother CJ. In a boat you have more flexibility to adapt with weight and do other things.
I've always said that if you become a good bank fisherman, you'll be "Hell on Wheels" in a boat! To be a good bank fisherman, you have to know the lake, the fish, patterns, etc, and how they all work together....you fish all your keys, you learn to carry light, and adjust....in a boat, you can easily move...on the bank, your guesses better be educated and correct or you have that "Pepe Le Pew" smell.... ALOT!
With my swimmers, since they sink, you learn quickly how to adjust speeds, and learn how to make them look like they are injured or dying to get that reaction strike while you are in the zone. I do use them under a bobber sometimes, just after ice out for cold water Crappie....but normally Gators are moving then so I go after them!