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Ok it’s winter, prespawn, but after seeing a post from Jigpuller and seeing 3” inch Shad in my live well that Crappie had been feeding on, I had a thought.
Are we really stuck with moving really slowly and dragging minnows in the winter or is using a enough weight to keep a Road Runner at 30’ or 40’ a viable option? Moving at 1 mph? Covering 2 or 3 times the area.
Anyone doing this?
Thanks
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Going to make this
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The biggest issue will be staying at that depth to avoid snags and getting the right weight with speed. I get enough snags tightlining. other issue is it will take a lot of weight and better have some heavy rods. In TN walleye fishing, it took at least 2 oz at 1-1.5 mph to get to 30fow on planer boards.
I don't think Shad will be moving at 1mph in cold water :dono
Maybe run the boat around until you spot a school, mark it, then go back over it several times with your baits at the appropriate depth.
I'm not even sure you can keep a bait at 30-40' @1mph ... without a whole heck of a lot of weight.
Good luck Brett! Maybe you should try trolling shallower water. I saw a guy the other day trolling in Torrance moving pretty fast. I didn't observe him catching anything but he may be on to something. I would think in Crowder's Creek and Catawba Creek being live fed streams bait would be there along with crappie moving in and out as the temps warm up in shallower water. Just a thought! :dono
Ed Dukes has a video of him catching crappie in cold water at 6 foot deep spider rigging.:cheers2
Another?
I keep reading to use small baits. What’s that about?
Twice I had 14&15 in fish with big minnows in their mouths. 3 or 4 inch minnows
Thanks
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Depends, sometimes minnow size doesn't seem to matter sometimes it does. I do however make notes which lines have smaller and which have larger minnows looking for a pattern. All depends. My last video, I noticed even the small throw backs were taking the large minnows, but didn't catch numbers. Ive had days I caught the numbers using small minnows.
In the summer when I push and pull crank baits i use 2oz weights that way they stay down deep where the fish are at. That's why I went and bought 9 of the crappie maxx rods cause they have the back bone to handle the heave weights
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I always use a 1/2 oz sinker. I've tried 3/4 but some of my rods will bow too much to my liking. I do move very slow because much faster and I'll risk lines crossing. I personally like smaller minnows and if there is one that is much bigger than the others I let it go. It's not easy finding small minnows anymore.
If you pulled heavier weights like a 1 oz Kentucky rig with double jigs or roadrunners then maybe you could control things. It still depends on how fast the fish want it and being in a snag free area I imagine. Would basically be spider rigging out the back.
Only when l push and pull jigs at the same time l use 1 1/2 oz weight up to 1mph. Over 1mph or power trolling l use 2oz up front.
I use different artificials but l prefer to feed them than fool them most of the time!
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I fish for stripers and hybrids primarily and I fish artificial for them just about all winter. I crappie fish some but the stripers are more of what I target. The stripers are also feeding on small threadfins this time of year so I spend a good bit of my time imitating them. Keep in mind that when the water temps drop into the 40’s the shad are practically comatose and are moving very slowly. Since the water temps dipped I am getting most of my stripers breaking out my crappie rod and throwing tiny jigs and cranking them extremely slow.
The other day I saw some shad dimpling the surface up shallow in the back of a cove so I decided to throw the net on them and possibly drop them down for white perch. I made an awful throw and I didn’t think the net had opened at all but when I pulled it, it had over 100 threadfin of all sizes in it. So they are ganged up real tight and not moving much at all.
if you want to get way down with less weight, use small braid. I've got a fleet of wally marshal tight line specials and slow troll with 1.5oz and minnow. I can get to 35-40'deep and still be quite vertical with lines back a few degrees at about .5 to .7MPH. Look at the 15-20lb test braids, handy when you do snag or hang a big blue cat.
Brettw here is the hottest bait going right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfumCS4M-YI
Here are my two go to baits when fishing is tough and you need to catch fish.
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[Ok it’s winter, prespawn, but after seeing a post from Jigpuller and seeing 3” inch Shad in my live well that Crappie had been feeding on, I had a thought.
Are we really stuck with moving really slowly and dragging minnows in the winter or is using a enough weight to keep a Road Runner at 30’ or 40’ a viable option? Moving at 1 mph? Covering 2 or 3 times the area.
Anyone doing this?
Thanks
The Simple answer is Yes you can, we do it on your lake all the time; most our tourneys are up there in the dead of winter, Wylie for some reason seem better longlining for us that tightlining, but we've also found that the fish like to sit in 30' of water this time of year, up to 45" of water, So as simple as I can make this we use up to 1/4oz. down to 1/6oz. in the spread of 12 rods, with 6lb test, lead, swivel, (leader!!!) jig: we set up jigs just like we would if we fish didn't use the leads. We don't run over ..7 to .8 mph but you do cover a lot of water and can fish several depths. But in a week or two it ought not matter they ought to be head up the creeks anyways and you can catch them normal way long lining.
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Thanks
You’re right soon even Oldfish, CK , Scooperdud and even the Dawgg will be able to catch something
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Brett I am sending you a pm with my cell number call me and I will answer your question. Bigdawgg I ant going to give him my secret bait lol biggrin
Brett it want let me send you a private message. Send me one and I will give you my cell number
That's all I use is jigs. The only time I use minnows is at nite.
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Jig Puller. Brett, has to change his settings to receive PM's. I tried a couple of times to contact him. :banghead Or either he don't want to get PM's. :Rofl
You can send me a PM! :biggrin
Me too!!
Jig puller you can PM me and I will past it on. Brettw is up north at a Wedding.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jig Puller
Just now saw everybody's post , thanks for the info on the pm's. I'll get with him when he gets back. I can't give out all my secrets biggrin. I thought I would trade some info with him if would take me or let me follow him on Wylie cause I ant never fished it before. I want to come down there and fish a different lake for a change. Just saying. :biggrin
Jigpuller you are welcome in my boat. I might be retiring in April and my fishing time will radically increase.
Sounds good tks for the invite and hope you can retire in April that be awesome.
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Looks like I to find a setting somewhere and change something, thanksQuote:
Originally Posted by Jig Puller
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About time! :Doh: You missed 13 PM's from me before cold weather started. :Rofl I wanted your cold spot no go to places book! :biggrin
You better follow ofishlbizzness around. Just saying! :biggrinQuote:
Originally Posted by Jig Puller
Us retired military need you to keep working!!!! My expenses keep going up and I need those tax dollars [emoji4]Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappieKidd
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I'm retire to but sometimes them tax dollars are keeping the wrong people. Lol.
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way== way too much of it going to wrong people just saying
Amen brother
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