jigngrub
Well-known member
I like to flat line troll for Crappie with UL spinning rods and reels and 8 and 10' noodle rods with UL reels, I use 6 and 8# test line with 1/16 oz. jigs and 2" curly tail grubs. I've been experimenting with jig color because it really makes a difference in the waters I fish. What is called "Popsicle" is a very productive color around here when the water is dirty/muddy and low light conditions. "Popsicle" is a 2" curly tail grub that has a chartreuse tail and half the body is pink and the other half purple.
Since this color is so productive, I've been experimenting with variations... and one of the paid off big today. I call this variation "Tallywhacker", it's a 2" grub with chartreuse tail, solid pink body, and a custom purple 1/16 oz head that I paint myself.
Got on the Lake at 9 this morning and hit one of my favorite Crappie holes. Not much on the first pass, but on the second pass I got a big hit... actually though I was snagged 'til I took the rod out of the holder and felt the head shakes. Of course this big hit was on the smallest lightest rod in the boat, a little 5' UL rod with a Shimano 1000 Solstice reel. I quickly reeled up the other 3 lines while fighting the fish and driving the boat in the wind. After a 15 minute fight and chasing this "thing" around a good part of the cove I was in with the trolling motor I netted and landed this 14 lb 7 oz Blue Cat.
This is the tackle I caught it on
Yup! That catfish bit my Tallywhacker! You can see the slime on the line above the jig.
The wind was terrible today, but the fish bit pretty good when I could make a decent pass on the area they were holding on. They were holding on the wind blown shore of the cove in 8-12' of water. I caught most species that are in this lake, Catfish, Crappie, Striped Bass, White Bass, Spotted Bass, and even a couple of Bluegill.
The Stripe/Whites and Spots were driving me crazy, I couldn't hardly catch my Crappie for these things jumping on the hook every time I made a pass. There wasn't any real size to the Stripe/Whites, but there were a few nice Spots that put up a helluva fight on the light tackle. The biggest Spot also bit my Tallywhacker.
Disgusting Green Trout
I threw up a little in the back of my mouth when this pic was being taken.
I only caught 6 keeper size Crappie today, but it was still fun.
2 of the biggest.
The 3 productive colors today were "Popsicle" (most fish), "Tallywhacker" (biggest fish), and Green Hornet (yellow and green, biggest Crappie).
I released all of these fish today in the same area I caught them so I can catch them again someday
Since this color is so productive, I've been experimenting with variations... and one of the paid off big today. I call this variation "Tallywhacker", it's a 2" grub with chartreuse tail, solid pink body, and a custom purple 1/16 oz head that I paint myself.
Got on the Lake at 9 this morning and hit one of my favorite Crappie holes. Not much on the first pass, but on the second pass I got a big hit... actually though I was snagged 'til I took the rod out of the holder and felt the head shakes. Of course this big hit was on the smallest lightest rod in the boat, a little 5' UL rod with a Shimano 1000 Solstice reel. I quickly reeled up the other 3 lines while fighting the fish and driving the boat in the wind. After a 15 minute fight and chasing this "thing" around a good part of the cove I was in with the trolling motor I netted and landed this 14 lb 7 oz Blue Cat.
This is the tackle I caught it on
Yup! That catfish bit my Tallywhacker! You can see the slime on the line above the jig.
The wind was terrible today, but the fish bit pretty good when I could make a decent pass on the area they were holding on. They were holding on the wind blown shore of the cove in 8-12' of water. I caught most species that are in this lake, Catfish, Crappie, Striped Bass, White Bass, Spotted Bass, and even a couple of Bluegill.
The Stripe/Whites and Spots were driving me crazy, I couldn't hardly catch my Crappie for these things jumping on the hook every time I made a pass. There wasn't any real size to the Stripe/Whites, but there were a few nice Spots that put up a helluva fight on the light tackle. The biggest Spot also bit my Tallywhacker.
Disgusting Green Trout
I threw up a little in the back of my mouth when this pic was being taken.
I only caught 6 keeper size Crappie today, but it was still fun.
2 of the biggest.
The 3 productive colors today were "Popsicle" (most fish), "Tallywhacker" (biggest fish), and Green Hornet (yellow and green, biggest Crappie).
I released all of these fish today in the same area I caught them so I can catch them again someday
I wouldn't necessarily say that crappie are the cream of the crop when it comes to table fare. They are good, but give me a walleye or a perch anyday. There is a notable diff between a calico and a walleye. Calico is a bit softer than Perch/Walleye/Bluegill IMO.
