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Im still learning all of this but would yall say the two most popular techniques would be pulling cranks and trolling double minnow rigs? What time of year do these techniques favor over the other? I have heard pulling cranks when its hot during the summer....so if not pulling cranks do you typically troll minnows? say Fall winter and spring....then pull cranks in the summer? I know single poling is another technique and i still do that too because thats how all this addiction got started.
Trigerin, as it did with most most us. "My name is Jim, and I'm a crappie addict."....seems to be the way most of my crappie conversations start. lol
Started as a 10 year old with a true cane pole, crickets, a cork and a 12 foot jon boat with a 3 hp Eska (sp) flat top motor, at Reelfoot Lake with PapPaw. What memories!! I too, have evolved, and consequently my bill fold has diminished. Just got into spider riggin myself two years ago and got 'hooked". My very limited experience is riggin in early to mid spring, with some single polin thrown in for memories sake. My summers are filled with golf tourneys till bout Oct., then back to riggin. Haven't pulled cranks at all, so I'm NO help there. Best fishin for me has been FALL riggin. Weather is more predictable and the pressure seems to have quitened down a tad. Some of the 'true junkies' on this board give 'er heck year around. Lucky devils!! If you get into pullin cranks, better buy a large travel chest to hold the bandits.....least that's what I've HEARD. lol For me, it doesn't matter much how I go about the process, jus as long as I can go about the process. Not a "limit" kinda guy, just a few nice specks in the boat and then enjoy the day, meet some great folks, and thank the Lord for the opportunity. Good luck to you and keep experimenting....I think that's the ticket. Find your own niche and make it work.
Pull cranks when the water is temp is warmer, but doesn't have to be summer temps. Some people pull cranks even in the winter. But typicall its a water temp thing, colder the water, the slower you want your presentation. With cranks you have to be going at least fast enough to make the bait dive down to the fish. Which is too fast of a presentation in the winter in my opinion. Now you can always add weights to make your cranks hang more verticle and this allows you to slow the presentation. So when I need a slow presentation I use double minnow rigs or just a quarter oz big head jig (or something similar). And when I need a faster one I go with cranks. But about to get into long linning where you can go faster than spider rigging but not as fast as cranking. its good for when the water tems are rising and you can get away with a little faster presentation but not as fast as a crank.
Target speeds
(MY OPINION ONLY)
Spider Rigging=0.3-0.8mph
Long Linning= 0.8-1.2mph
Cranking=1.5-2.2mph
Alot of different people do differently than I and are more successful than I. I do get into em from time to time though. This is just my theory.
Post spawn the fish will disperse and not be schooled up. They will scatter all over so you will have to cover a lot of water to find them. Instead of trolling double minnows at four tenths mph, you are trolling long line jigs at eight tenths to one point two or cranks at around one point seven or better. In the fall to early spring, the fish will school back up. The water will be cold and you will troll double minnow or jig and minnows at two tenths of slower to get a bite. As the water warms up you can increase your speed to four tenths, give or take. During the spawn, if you're a numbers man, single pole the shallow brush. It is the most productive of all the methods. Then back to post spawn.
thanks for the tips guys
Now go fishin and get back to us with what worked.!!! lol