I have been at this for a little over a year now and I still struggle with some of the methods, but it is clear to me that knowing how deep your jig/minnow is plays a key role in catching fish. I got some 10 and 12 foot rods a few months ago and one thing I did to help with the depth is I put a piece of tape 24 inches from the reel. I can use the rod length to determine the start point, say 12 ft, and I can drop it in 2 foot increments til I get it where I want it.

Years ago I got indoctrinated into the madness of jig fishing for crappie when a friend was catching 4 to my 1. He was casting a 1/32 oz jig, counting down to about 6 ft and the reeling so slow I could barely tell he was turning the reel handle. I copied what he was doing and still did not improve. I finally asked him why I was not getting any bites and he smiled and said "you had 3 strikes on your last cast, why did you not set the hook?" I looked at him like he was crazy and said I never felt a thing. He said "you won't feel anything, you have to watch your line very close and when it goes slack, set the hook." I tired it, feeling kind of stupind setting the hook when I never felt a strike.
But surprise, surprise, when the line bowed slightly I set the hook and had a crappie on. It is a devilish way to fish, but if you want to catch crappie, you have to be able to detect strikes. I am sure I am missing fish tightlining because I am expecting the rod to take a bend and that may not happen every strike.
So much to learn, so little time.
SeaRay