Finding & Catching Summer Crappie
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Many fisherman struggle to find consistent populations of summer crappie. As weeds begin to spring up on many lakes, many species bury themselves in this weed cover and can be tough to get out. And this is couldn’t be more true than for the crappie.
Unlike crappie in the south, which are often found near submerged stumps and standing timber, crappie in the natural lakes of the north usually have to find alternative cover. And for many of these lakes, tall summer weeds in deeper water is the only real option.
Effective Methods for Catching Crappie in Tall Weed Beds
There are three tried and true methods that I have used to consistently catch fish that are buried in these tall summer weed beds.
Method #1: Slip Bobber & Jig
This method is perfect for getting a jig or live bait presentation down between weeds as long as the weeds are not too thick. Cast the bait directly over the weed bed and the the bobber will allow the bait to fall straight down between the weeds. This is much preferred over standard bobbers where the bobber acts as a pivot causing your bait to swing down below the bobber, often catching on weeds in it’s path.
Method #2: Casting Light Jigs
Another technique that is very effective in the dog days of summer is to cast a jig or other light weight artificial over the top of the weeds and retrieve it just fast enough to keep it above them. This works great when the weeds are not full emerged. The light weight jig will allow you to make the retrieve fairly slow without the jig getting down into the weeds. This method is particularly effective if you’ve found a concentrated school of fish as it allows you to pinpoint your presentation on that school. However, because the jigs are lightweight, this method can be a problem if the wind is too high.
Method #3: Long Line Trolling Light Jigs
This method works great when searching for crappie, especially when fishing new waters. While spider rigging works great if you are working deep flats, long lining is preferred when trolling the baits high in the column to stay above the tips of tall weeds. When trolling, speed control is important and we typically use a trolling motor to hold speeds in the 0.7-1.3 mph range for active summer fish.
Baits to Try
When it comes to baits, I typically like to use jigs with plastics fished either by themselves or on a spinner. Some popular jig colors are white, pink and chartreuse.
Spinners can be purchased separately and added to the jig, if desired, when used methods #2 and #3 above. I prefer spinners with a #2 Colorado blade, but you can use whichever size your prefer.
When it comes to plastics, there are many on the market to choose from. Personally, I like a Bobby Garland style when using method #1 and Charlie Brewer Crappie Grub when using methods #2 and #3.
Finally, if you decide to try method #1, this slip bobber by Thill is a great one to try. Good luck out there!