Trolling For Crappie – Quick And Easy!

Trolling For Crappie – Quick And Easy!

The nice thing about having a boat is that you can troll to find the crappie schools. Some fisherman spend all day trolling weather they catch any crappie or not. I would like to show you a way to troll for crappie and actually catch fish. Once you start catching crappie stop your trolling and start having fun reeling in your catch.

Equipment you will need:

Boat

A trolling motor that will go as slow as physically possible.

Jigs that have a red head and a white or yellow body.

The jigs should have a variety of different weights. The weight of the jig will determine how deep you are trolling. You want to have a variety of crappie rigs trolling at the same time at a variety of different depths.
This is called a shotgun effect.

Where to Start Trolling:
Crappie love structure so you want to start trolling near rock points, know stump areas, know sunken wreak areas, Think of any where a crappie could hide as a predator and dart out and return after catching his prey. I would start by identifying area’s on a topographical map. This is a excellent way to create a game plan to start your fishing trip.

Initial trolling for crappie set up
You can start your troll using live bait . Hook the minnow through the bottom and top of his mouth. (this will prevent the minnow from drowning) Use ½oz or 3/4oz weight on the end of the line.

Once you catch the first fish stop the boat!

Know the secret tip to identify exactly where that school is located.
Use the crappie you just caught and use him as a scout fish to find that school of hungry crappie.

Step #1 Run a hook thru the back of the crappie make its not to deep so you don’t kill the crappie by mistake. The hook needs to be attached to about 10ft of line with a bobber on the other end of the line.

Step#2 Let your scout fish lead you to the main crappie school. Just follow the floating bobber.

Step#3 VERY IMPORTANT stay far enough behind your scout fish so you cannot be seen by the schooled crappie.

Step#4 When he gets back to his home and all his buddies in the school and probably his favorite structure area, cast your line into the area from a safe distance. (If you spook the fish you will have to start all over again in a different area.

Step#5 Keep fishing the general area until you fish it out. If you don’t have enough fish, start the trolling for crappie exercise all over again at a different spot.

Step#6 You would be surprised how many fishermen never do step 6 and it is probably one of the most important step for future fishing trips. Mark the spot on your topographical map . If you have a GPS enter the coordinates immediately so you do not forget. Remember you want to learn from every fishing trip.

Step#7 If you want to get real technical put a dot for every fish that was caught at this location. And if you want to get even more technical record the weather conditions .

Remember trolling for crappie can be a very rewarding way to catch a batch of crappie , use it and you will be a successful crappie fisherman. Make sure you check with your local department of natural resources before you use a scout fish to make sure it is legal in your state. GOOD FISHING AND GOOD LUCK!

Mark Fleagle Author A well respected fishing specialist with 30+ years of fishing experience,who has written many fishing articles. Mark has been a online presence for fishing resources for going on 4 years. my site: Get your free copy of "78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed". http://www.oldfishinghole.com