Trolling CB Question

New guy here..... switching from bass fishing to crappie fishing this year. I've had success fishing for crappie in the past under certain situations but am a newbie at this for sure.


What I want to ask is about crank bait selection for trolling. I did this one summer in GA over 10 years ago and had some success on smaller crappie but it was fun and a good way to find fishing holding cover and mark it for later.

ANYWAY, I have been setting up a crappie bag and going through my bass tackle to see what I can use and found some brightly colored square bill crank baits that look like perfect colors for crappie.

I know you CAN do anything you want... but is trolling square bills a normal approach?

They don't go very deep (probably 2-5 feet)... so they would probably be fine in shallow lakes in summer but not in deep river run reservoirs like Pickwick and KY Lake. That was a question even though it sounded like a statement! :0)


I am going to spider rig this spring with 14' rods out the front. Can you push these for pre and post spawn crappie in shallower water?

Do the square bills tend not to troll very well? meaning do they blow out and not run straight enough? Come to the surface or get tangled?


I used to use Bandit 100's and 200's and saw pro online using 300's and I do have a few of those but wondering about the square bills.

Thanks

Click here and start reading https://www.crappie.com/crappie/miss...-cranks-101-a/

Some interesting comments but none of the links worked anymore in that old thread.

Someone want to repost the Bandit Depth Chart?

All in BANDITS
Feet 100 200 300
LINE DEPTHDEPTHDEPTH
05 ------- 2.4 ----- 3.2 ----- 3.4
10 ------- 4.0 ----- 4.5 ----- 4.0
15 ------- 5.3 ----- 5.3 ----- 6.0
20 ------- 5.7 ----- 6.1 ----- 7.0
25 ------- 6.3 ----- 6.9 ----- 8.0
30 ------- 6.9 ----- 7.5 ----- 9.0
35 ------- 7.4 ----- 8.0 ----- 9.9
40 ------- 7.9 ----- 8.5 ----- 10.5
45 ------- 8.4 ----- 9.0 ----- 11.0
50 ------- 8.8 ----- 9.5 ----- 11.6
55 ------- 9.1 ----- 9.9 ----- 12.1
60 ------- 9.4 ----- 10.2 ---- 12.6
65 ------- 9.7 ----- 10.6 ---- 13.1
70 ------ 10.0 ----- 11.0 ---- 13.6
75 ------ 10.3 ----- 11.4 ---- 14.0
80 ------ 10.5 ----- 11.8 ---- 14.4
85 ------ 10.7 ----- 12.0 ---- 14.7
90 ------ 10.8 ----- 12.2 ---- 15.0
95 ------ 10.9 ----- 12.4 ---- 15.4
100 ------ 11.1 ----- 12.6 ---- 15.7
105 ------ 11.2 ----- 12.7 ---- 16.0
110 ------ 11.3 ----- 12.8 ---- 16.3
115 ------ 11.4 ----- 13.0 ---- 16.7
125 ------ 11.6 ----- 13.4 ---- 17.0
135 ------ 11.8 ----- 13.6 ---- 17.3
150 ------ 11.8 ----- 14.0 ---- 17.6 first column is ft of line out...next column is bandit 100, then 200, then 300. Measure length of line out from where the line hits the water...also chart is for 10 lb. mono and speed of 1.8 mph

Great chart as I plan on trying some trolling this year. Thanks “G”

Thanks for the chart!

You can use the square bills. If pulling behind boat you will want to run a weight in front to adjust your depth. You just have to play with them some to find right weight for depth your trying to acheve. I like them more pushing off front of boat behind a 2 oz weight on stiff rod. Bandit 300 is probably best overall bait for crappie when pulling. I haven’t found one yet in any color that they won’t hit at some point. Remember, just. Remember, just like bass fishing no two lakes are the same. Experiment.

Check out the Pico INT cranks. Mitch is a Sponsor here and a great guy to deal with. I’ve ran them since they were just prototypes and of the hundreds I’ve tied on, I’ve never had one that wouldn’t track right straight out of the package. The dimpled texture is a game changer. They won us a bunch of $$ in Crappie Masters and Crappie USA tourneys last year.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

Push the square bills ( PICO’s are awesome)off the front of your boat using either 2 oz or 3 oz weights. I like the 3 oz. Troll the 300’s or best yet the PICO’s INT as they, for me, work the best. They will also run a foot deeper than the Bandits and Arkies. PICO’s have a better rattle and hard to beat that dimpled body over a smooth bodied crank bait. Also, because of the dimpled body, Slab Sauce seems to stick better on it if using alittle of it. :cheers2

I’ve found a big difference in lakes from north to south with crankbaits here in northern Illinois I fish a lake that they will not hit a bandit but a #5 jointed shad rap rapala will just were em out, best way to know is use em on your lake and adjust the depth with weights to get were the fish are, use a 1/2 oz trolling weight and figure 30ft of line out will run 15ft at 1.5 mph if u have livescope or know someone that does run some line out and point the transducer at the lure to determine your depth your running get to were the fish are and let them tell ya if they like em

Oh thank you for that suggestion. I am going to order a few. I already have some Bandits but I have never used a Pico. The colors look better for crappie for my eye and they are a little less which will help if I am trying to fill a box with them.

Always check the tune of crankbaits a crank not running true sucks when it comes to catching fish.

I used to look for bait balls and you’ll find how deep the fish are. Adjust accordingly. I’ve pushed and pulled cranks, bot with good success. After using bandits I started painting my own, and I still have em, even though that doesn’t work near as well down here. I placed in tourneys pulling cranks. Also fun to laugh at yourself when you run 8 rods by yourself, a Chinese fire drill.