Thread: Summer Crappie Trolling Tips Please

Trolling in the summer heat is not your best option in my opinion, but if you're wanting to, I would be on the water at the crack of daylight. Don't be afraid to troll shallow. Be on the lookout for schooling bait fish on the surface and on your graph. Let your electronics guide you to depth and fish. If you're not seeing anything on the graph, don't waste your time. If you do find fish, the bite usually dies around 10:00am. Cloudy days will be better than sunny bright ones.

You would probably fair better tight lining minnows and jigs if you think casting or longlining is not an option. Maybe convert to night fishing with us! LOL

Originally Posted by Inkdabber

Trolling in the summer heat is not your best option in my opinion, but if you're wanting to, I would be on the water at the crack of daylight. Don't be afraid to troll shallow. Be on the lookout for schooling bait fish on the surface and on your graph. Let your electronics guide you to depth and fish. If you're not seeing anything on the graph, don't waste your time. If you do find fish, the bite usually dies around 10:00AM. Cloudy days will be better than sunny bright ones.

Spot on! Rely on the electronics to find the fish. When the sun rises expect the fish to go deeper (following the bait). Dont expect large numbers of quality fish as it wont usually happen during the hot months. A good mess of fish to take home is what youre after. Any quality fish to feed the wife and yourself is usually good. Just have fun and try learning something. Experiment around as this isnt he prime time for catching large quantities of crappies.
Be happy with what you get. This is where the brush fishermen really have the edge. Tomorrow I'm catfishing.