Welfare fishing.....

I am sitting at work waiting on a customer to arrive, and have been thinking about fishing. A lot of times I tight line minnows with a single pole. Well I have a few deeper dock s I fish and the crappie some times hit it on the drop and I never feel it. I call this welfare fishing when I reel in with no minnow and no tap. LoL I think I'm gonna switch over to mo glow scent wigglrs next time this happens to me a lot instead of just feeding the dependent s . Tues I had this happen 15-20 times , that gets aggravating. Any suggestions?

Hold your finger on the line to feel the light bites or hits on the fall
Drop slower and watch your line
I prefer Bonehead braid because it is very sensitive and easy to use
I use very bright line, orange braid, so I can see every little twitch and feel – everything –

Good luck on getting those crappie off welfare and into the grease!! :biggrin

Braid, with a flouro leader.

Another thing to try would be adding more weight and letting it drop through like a rock, then bring it up slowwww. With good sensitive line, you should be able to see/feel the strike on the way up. Braid is very sensitive, but even a 4-6 lb mono for vertical fishing would work.

Try to target fish that aren't Obama supporters .... they were raised to not expect free meals 3 x a day :Rofl :yikes

Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

I agree with using more sensitive line and keeping your finger on the line as well.

YB

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vic n

Another thing to try would be adding more weight and letting it drop through like a rock, then bring it up slowwww. With good sensitive line, you should be able to see/feel the strike on the way up. Braid is very sensitive, but even a 4-6 lb mono for vertical fishing would work.

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Some fish will only take a bait on the fall and not on the rise. A falling bait indicates a dead or injured bait and one on the rise means an active bait and takes more energy to chase it down. In cooler water they are more opportunistic feeders and their strike zone is a lot smaller. EB

BAMA S you are bored because college football is over with for now - don't kid me :)

Could be Bluegill, or it could be Crappie :dono

If you aren't already, try hooking the minnow behind the eyeballs. If you already are, go to a smaller hook & tail hook them.
You might also try dropping the minnow down without any weight (freeline), or use a jighead & pitch the minnow/jig out away from the dock & let it swing back.

And don't forget about this method : http://www.crappie.com/articles/crappiepappy.htm

... cp :kewl

If all else falls call for backup. Someone will come up with a plan.

Good thoughts guys ill apply this knowledge.....

Since you started this post with sitting and thinking about fishing, this must be a "once upon a time" event.:popcorn

I really was thinking out loud when I started this thread. But I do hate missing fish, so I received some good thoughts outa this and I'm sure ill get some more responses.

Prob bream or small baitfish. I know about those dreams.

If you are tight lining with a split shot and hook, switch over to a jig. Otherwise just watch your line for it to go slack or stop falling. Or, you can invest in a high quality graphite rod and feel the fish suck it in on the fall. You have to keep your line semi-tight, but you will feel it with a good rod. Very rarely do I get hit on the fall and not be able to coax them back with a very slow rise with twitches (vertical fishing, watching them on a graph)

Get some Hi-Viz line and watch it closley

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TexExp

Hold your finger on the line to feel the light bites or hits on the fall
Drop slower and watch your line
I prefer Bonehead braid because it is very sensitive and easy to use
I use very bright line, orange braid, so I can see every little twitch and feel – everything –

Good luck on getting those crappie off welfare and into the grease!! :biggrin

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Do you use a leader on that orange braid line ?

If your line stops falling set the hook.

Go to 1/32 jig . He should get hooked !:biggrin

That's an excellent name for it!

Bait buttons will hold that minnow on more often, or even a small chunk of rubber band.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yankee Bill

Try to target fish that aren't Obama supporters .... they were raised to not expect free meals 3 x a day :Rofl :yikes

Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

I agree with using more sensitive line and keeping your finger on the line as well.

YB

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When handing out these free crappie meals don't forget the ACA Surcharge that has went into effect for the "O" care.

I'll bet that your rig has a sinker above the hook. When this is falling you're in contact with the sinker, not the bait. Try changing your rig to a weighted jighead tipped with a minnow and I think your catch rate will improve. At least you might feel the thieves in action.

Alright guys .... enough with the "political jab" remarks. nonono

Let's not get this thread moved to the Way Off Topic forum !!

... cp :kewl

Imagine that. A man sitting at work dreaming about fishing. What is this world coming to.

Well atleast he's not setting there fishing and thinking about work.:Rofl