Page 13 - Crappie NOW - August 2018

CRANK UP SUMMER CRAPPIE

This will be the set up on one side and
on the other side almost the same except Crankbaits are the heart and sole of
starting with 35 feet of line out from the summertime trolling.
middle of the boat and finally 65 feet on
the longest rod. This is done to determine
the most productive depth the crappies to other rods. John said the crappie can
are biting and then all rods are adjusted change their feeding mood from day to
accordingly. He will typically start trolling day so if they are not biting as well as the
around 1.5 mile per hour and will go to day before, switch colors. This will often
1.8 and it all depends what is best for the trigger bites and catch more fish. One of
day. the things that John has experienced is
So what are the best crankbaits to that colors will change from year to year.
use? John uses several different brands Example, last year pink was a hot color
of baits but on a normal day, he begins with the year before that, chartreuse was
with a specific color that has worked over
the last several trips. Today and over the
past month, the best color combo is black
and orange. On the eight rods being
used today, there were some Strike King
3 and 3XD, Jenko Fishing, Bandit 200
and 300 and Arkie crank baits tied on.
Again, the common denominator was all
baits were some sort of black and orange
coloration. As a pattern was established,
the bait catching the most fish was tied

13 Crappie NOW August 2018