Spider riggin contour lines ...

Here's a post I did many years ago and this new forum is a good place to keep it for future discussion ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rnvinc

I spider rig contour lines...

Early in the year ... Before the water reaches 55 degrees...I'll be following creek channel ledge contour lines...
When the water reaches 55 degrees.. I'll experiment with contour lines parallel with the bank...

I'll pick a depth I think the fish will be in and stay on that contour line for several hundred yards....
If I don't pick up any fish... I'll move the boat over 2ft deeper or shallower... And either backtrack my previous pass or continue on down the new contour line...

Once I find what depth the fish seem to be targeting... I'll stay on that contour line until the fish quit biting or until I want to move to a different area and start all over...

Spider riggin contour lines gives the benefit of setting the baits on the shallow side of the boat to a certain depth... And setting the baits on the deeper side of the boat to a certain depth and covering several hundred yards of water without constantly adjusting bait depths...

Rickie

---

If you don't mind can you explain what you are meaning when you say contour lines? Some of the beginners might not know.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tracker81

If you don't mind can you explain what you are meaning when you say contour lines? Some of the beginners might not know.

---

Contour lines are the consistent depth lines showing on mapping card data Chart views ...

The lines follow a specific depth... regardless of how far from the bank that specific contour line runs ...

Contour lines are the lines showing on mapping card Chart views ...

These contours lines show a consistent depth along the line...regardless of how far from the bank the specific contour line runs...

Crappie are a depth oriented fish species ... Following contour lines until a pattern develops allows targeting this aspect of crappie habits ...

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/r...psho71omap.png

Rickie

Awesome explanation. Thanks. All that will definitely help someone in there learning experience. If anyone else can add some details or anything new please do. There's alot of people asking about how to everything and anything on finding crappie.

Sent from my LGL62VL using Tapatalk

Question for the OP: Are you using iPilot link follow contour feature while spider rigging and if so can you stay on course at slower speeds? I have iPilot link and find that following contours at slow speeds doesn't work to well. I have high sided deep V so it gets pushed around in wind. Anyhow, just curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kfi

Question for the OP: Are you using iPilot link follow contour feature while spider rigging and if so can you stay on course at slower speeds? I have iPilot link and find that following contours at slow speeds doesn't work to well. I have high sided deep V so it gets pushed around in wind. Anyhow, just curious.

---

I use a Fortrex cable steer ... but that new Ultrex sure does look interesting ...

I try to always spider rig into the wind ...which makes boat control somewhat easier ...

Rickie

Good information in this thread. My first spring for spider rigging. It has been a learning experience for sure.

I certainly understand the concept of fishing in varying depths of water, but how do you decide if you are running the jig at the right depth under the surface, which introduces another variable? Are you marking fish before you decide to follow that contour, to determine that they are there?

The way I spider rig on contour lines I might mark fish at a spot and troll 20 minutes before I mark again. If fish are at say 15 ft I will put all 8 lines from 10 to 15 ft. When I get 2-3 fish at the same depth I will put all them to that depth. Crappie feed looking up, so you do not want your bait under them. That's how I have done it for 15 yrs and all ways works for me. Hope it helps u understand Lil better.

Sent from my LGL62VL using Tapatalk