Page 10 - Crappie NOW - December 2017
P. 10
by John E. Phillips
up on the front of his boat and three on the
“Tony Adams, who will be your fishing back of the boat. He told me, “I have two rods
guide, assures me he’s found a spot where rigged for tight-line fishing, and one rod rigged
y’all should be able to limit out on crappie in 2 up with a slip bobber, but I don’t put the stopper
hours, and on your way to that spot, Tony will in that slip bobber. I let the line go through the
put-out jugs to catch catfish,” Mayor Jack Tibbs bobber and use the bobber as a strike detector.
of Eufaula, Alabama, explained before my trip. I fish with one to two, No. 4 size shot lead(s),
Adams arrived in Eufaula to take a new depending on the wind, up the line, and a No.
job in 1989 and started fishing for crappie and 6 wire crappie hook about 8-10 inches below
building and sinking fish attractors in Lake the lead with 4-6-pound test line, depending on
Eufaula. Today because Adams has 250 spots how thick the cover is where we’re fishing.
he can fish successfully and rarely, if ever, does “If I use a bobber stopper and fish 8-10
he find anyone fishing those same places, he feet deep, when I try to reel up the crappie,
catches crappie weighing 3/4- to 2 pounds the bobber stopper will hit the top guide on my
each. Here’s a look at Adams’ fishing tactics to rod, and I’ll have to pull the crappie in by hand.
help you catch more crappie where you fish. By not using the bobber stopper, I can reel up
the crappie all the way to the surface and then
Build and Sink Fish Attractors swing it into the boat. Another advantage to not
“I build my reefs out of 5-gallon buckets,” using a bobber stopper is that it allows you to
Adams explains. “I cut river cane and put those see a strike that you may not be able to see, if
canes in a bucket, leaving about 10-12 feet you’re just watching 4-6-pound test line.
sticking out of and above the bucket. Then I mix “When a crappie takes a bait, even if you
up and pour concrete into the buckets. At the get a light strike, that bobber will move. If the
locations where I’ll put these artificial reefs, I’ll crappie pushes the bait to the left, the right,
generally place three buckets in the same spot. forward or backwards, you can see the bobber
By building these buckets during the week, I move. The line will move slightly in one of those
can take the new buckets with me every time I four directions and will move the bobber in the
go fishing and create a new reef. They’re easy direction in which the crappie is swimming.
to load and unload out of the boat, they stand Even if the crappie doesn’t push the minnow,
up straight on the bottom, and I sink these if that fish just comes up and sucks in the bait,
buckets in 20 feet of water. This way, the cane you’ll be able to see that light strike when the
stands up at 8-10 feet off the bottom, and that’s bobber moves or twitches. On a very bright
the depth where I catch most of my crappie all
year long.”
Tony Adams of Eufaula, Alabama, holds
Use Three-Rod Set-Ups two limits of crappie caught in 2 hours of
When Adams had located the spot we’d fishing.
fish for crappie, he had three rod holders set-
10 Crappie NOW December 2017
