Page 10 - Crappie NOW | January 2016

Hop, Drop & Troll

Fish Fast
Crappies display a variety of moods,
and their responsiveness to various Jigging spoons are a great choice for
presentations can change throughout targeting crappies in most situations. This
the day – often rapidly. Anglers should be one fell for a Custom Jigs and Spins Slender
prepared with a variety of offerings, from Spoon in Gold/Glow. Dan Stefanich Photo.
small tungsten jigs tipped with thin plastics
to relatively large jigging spoons.
“When crappies are aggressive, it’s hard to make them chase it… Once you get them
beat a Slender Spoon or a Buckshot Rattle moving, they’ll usually charge it.”
Spoon tipped with a minnow head or tail,” Aside from a jigging spoon’s larger
says Henry, who prefers variations of gold profile, Henry prefers them for another
and glow red for Lake of the Woods’ stained reason. “Spoons fish heavy,” he says,
waters. referring to their ability to punch through a
When a fish is showing on sonar, Henry slushy hole and get back down to other fish
advises stopping the spoon 4 to 5 feet above quickly once one has been caught. “If you’re
it and slowly working it down if necessary. “A marking a fish down there, a spoon is going
lot of times you’ll see the fish begin drifting to get down to it quickly… hopefully before it
up towards your bait immediately,” Henry leaves.”
says. “If they do that, I’ll slowly raise the Crappies aren’t usually too difficult
spoon while twitching it ever so slightly and to catch. But they can be hard to locate,

10 Crappie NOW January 2016