Thread: Set Up for Shellcracker Question

Either will work and I have caught redears on both. The main thing I am finding about redears is you can NEVER fish TOO SLOW for them. I just got an Omega Z02 reel for its super slow retrieve ratio.

Use a modified Kentucky rig or deep water rig when fishing Shellcracker. They like to live near bottom. Look on the main Crappie forum for a stickie called knots and rig drawings. It should.give you several options.

Originally Posted by luvtofish

Never have went and specifically targeted shellcrackers. What kind of set up do most of you use. Drop shot style? Anyone ever tried a Carolina style set up for them. Thinking that may be the was to go to prevent resistance on the line. Looking for opinions and maybe example of the set ups some of you use.

Rick ... the two main setups I use for Crackers is a 3/16oz slip sinker & #4 litewire Aberdeen (mostly for fishing from shore) and a 1/16oz jighead (for use from boat). Bait of choice is a pinch of nightcrawler, just long enough to cover the hook. A regular slipfloat/sinker/hook/nightcrawler piece is also a good setup.

One thing I have noticed, when getting a bite (esp. on the slipfloat rig), is that the Shellcrackers tend to swim off with the bait ... never pulling the float under, until they've moved several feet from where they grabbed the bait. Bluegill, on the other hand, tend to nip & yank repeatedly at the bait or jerk the float under in one quick instance.

Now, I do have to admit that I've only fished one small lake for Shellcrackers ... and only a half dozen or so times ... but these things occurred on every occasion. I've also noticed that the Crackers did seem to like the ~7-10ft depths more often than not. I don't think I've actually found a nesting area, on this lake, but I do plan on hitting it as close to next months full Moon as possible (& see if I can find some).

The good sized Shellcrackers that I've caught from this lake, ran around the 7-9" range (last year) ... and I'm planning on using my carbon microlite outfit (Mitchell Zero Gravity rod/Zebco PS2 reel), this time. That ought to make those hand sized Crackers feel like a runaway freight train Rofl

... cp

I don't catch a ton of redears. Most are caught while gill fishing. I've caught some really nice ones though pushing the 10 inch mark. Ditto to what Crappiepappy said. He seems to have a handle on it. MrDux gave some key info as well. I use a drop shot with a jig and piece of crawler or Berkley waxie. Crawlers seemed to be preferred but I've caught them both ways. I drop shot so I can keep in contact with the bottom without getting the jig hung up as much. SLOW is the key. If you think you're retrieving too slow, slow down even more. I fish with a Pflueger Trion GX 5, 4 lb test on a 6 foot Okuma Celio light action rod. It's a blast catching anything on such light tackle, but those bull gills and large redears put up a fantastic fight with that setup. Here's a few pics from the last year or so.

I use two methods depending on their depth. seems I either find them shallow or about 12 feet deep. shallow, I use a slip bobber that is 2 1/2" long with an even longer tube going thru it. I don't use a stop knot but rather put enough split shot above the hook to take it to the bottom, when they take the bait, you should see the bobber moving around on the surface, now if there is snags present I would use a stop knot to keep it just above the bottom. In 12 feet of water I use a size 4 hook and a couple redworms with the ends free to wiggle, and I put between one and three large split shot about 3 feet above the hook, the more wind you have the more weight you use. put out several rods and watch the rod tips like you were fishing for catfish. don't worry bout them turning loose of the bait, they usually swallow it, so carry lots of hooks, and don't stick your finger down their throat.. lol

Gotta love all them photo's of all that grease stinking material!!!

Thanks guys. Hopefully the weather will be good this next week when I am off work, although supposed to rain MOn. and Tues. here. The lake I am planning to go to is only about 35 miles from home, but sad to say I have never been there. I is know for some really nice shellcrackers where 1-2 lbs is not uncommon. The record for the lake isn 2.88 lbs. if I am not mistaken. Sure would love to have some 1+ lb. shellcrackers for a meal. Will post some pics if lucky enough to catch some fish.....

The biggest and most important thing to remember when fishing for redear is to fish on bottom. If you don't fish on bottom you'll have a much harder time catching them consistently. I use two different approaches for redear. I either fish on bottom with a cork or I straight line. When fishing on bottom with a cork, I like to set the depth about six inches deeper than actual bottom because it allows me to watch that line stopper. When the redear bite, the line stopper will start moving towards the cork and you know he's fiddling with it. Redear seldom just jerk a cork under, they typically grab the bait and swim away with it but since they're on bottom, the cork slides across the lake instead of going under.

My favorite way to catch them is straight lining. Tie a #2 or #4 long shank hook on and clamp a sinker on the line about a foot above the hook and let it sit on bottom. Redear are a challenge to catch but I fish for them about 8 months out of the year and normally catch a mess when I go.