ok, heres the deal. you need to use red wigglers as bait most of the time. tie a size 4 aberdeen hook on the line and put a couple big split shot 3 feet up the line, put 2-3 wigglers on there and toss it into 10-15 feet of water. set the rod down, and tighten the line up a little. if it doesn't get hit in 10 minutes crank it in a few turns and let it sit again. they stay on the bottom most of the time, and just like crappies they don't bite sometimes.