Trolling for Crappie help

[Jdkxtreme]

I have never trolled for crappie. I am very interested in it. I would be willing to cover gas and lunch if someone wanted to take me out and educate me on it. Would really like to do this on OHL since that is where I fish most.

[Jdkxtreme]

1,000 people viewed this and no input. Everybody hanging onto their secrets..lol

[Travis C.]

Do you fish for crappie now on OH?

If you do and know where you catch them spawning then start there on a map. Mark the ditches, channels, creek channels out to the river channel. They will be along those "highways" or not far from them. Work those areas from spawning places to creek mouths or it's main lake channel junction then back.

Get you some bandits or similar cranks in a good minnow pattern then some off the wall colors for when they aren't being picky. Pitch a rod or 4 out the back free lining some further or closer so they won't hang up in each other. Pull them around 1-2 mph until you locate the fish. They will be in schools by now. Then what I would do is go back through the same area after catching some with a Crappie Magnet in Killer Klatt on same lines but slower.

This year water has been so much colder they could literally be anywhere along that path. Some one even posted not long ago still shooting docks for them.

About all I can put in. Maybe someone else can help out too.

[Jdkxtreme]

I have fished for them around brush piles. Would I still troll with the same 4# test?

[Travis C.]

I have fished for them around brush piles. Would I still troll with the same 4# test?

I use 6lb line.

[bfish]

10-12 lb test, that way you don't loose your cranks everytime you touch bottom

Everything anybody needs to know and then some:
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/mississippi/117660-pulling-cranks-101-a.html

[Jdkxtreme]

Thank you

[Transplanted Sportsman]

I normally troll around the dam on Normandy or anywhere you can find rip rap close to deep water, if you fish a lake that develops a thermocline find out what the depth of the thermocline and fish above from that depth if you have electronics pay close attention and look for brush piles, stup fileds but also changes in bottom contour, drops offs, flats near creek chanels normal stuff you would look for, i also look for fish scattered and suspended on open water, I troll bandits 200, 300, bomber fat free shads, with 8 lb mono about 50 yds behind the boat at 1.5 MPH, you have to experiment with colors, there are days that they will destroy a pink or purple crank, there are days they prefer the black and silver or firetiger depending on water clarity, good luck and let us know how you do!