Small Things Make The Difference In Success for Post-Spawn Crappie

Often you don't have to make any huge changes in the way you fish for crappie to be more successful. For instance, you can take one of the crappie in your ice chest, and scale it. Next sprinkle the scales on the water, and let them flutter to the bottom. The crappie will think the scales mean a school of baitfish is passing by. When you drop minnows or jigs back into that school look-alike, the crappie will begin to bite again.

Or, you can change the color of your jig because crappie will quickly wise-up to jig color. Then you often can get locked-lipped crappie that have stopped biting to start biting again. You can use the old jar trick. Fill a gallon-glass jar with water, and put a lid with holes punched in it on the jar. Tie the neck of the jar with a strong piece of string. Put six to 12 minnows in the jar, and lower it to the depth where you've caught crappie. Although the crappie will spot the minnows in the jar, they won't see the glass. They'll attack the jar. When you put live minnows on hooks down right beside the jar, the crappie will take your bait.

A seemingly small thing you can do during the post-spawn and hot weather when crappie often roam is to move with the crappie wherever they go. To keep up with their movements, take one of your caught crappie, punch a hole in its lip, and tie a small piece of monofilament to it. Let the fish have more line than required to get back down to the depth where you've caught it. On the other end of the line, tie a small, half-inflated balloon. As the crappie you've caught gets back with the school and swims with it, the balloon will show you the direction of the school and where you must fish to catch additional crappie from that school.

To learn more about crappie fishing, go to Night Hawk Publications' Home Page, and click on fishing books.

Check back each day this week for more about Tips For Catching Post-Spawn Crappie ...

Day 1 -Be Versatile
Day 2 -Vary Your Tactics To Take Post-Spawn Crappie
Day 3 -Get Ideas From your Fishing Buddies
Day 4 -Pay Attention To Your Surroundings, and Use Unusual Techniques To Take Crappie
Day 5 -Small Things Make The Difference In Success for Post-Spawn Crappie

John's Journal