Page 13 - Crappie NOW | June 2016

Apply Tournament Tactics to Weekend Fishing

Taylor prefers to fish double
minnow rigs with 1/2-ounce weight, Stubby Steve’s scented bait
stating this rig has proven itself all chunk. Not only does it provide
over the country. “I buy bait locally, added scent, but it also keeps
obtaining the size of minnows that the
shop owners says the local fishermen the minnow on when a crappie
purchase. Or, if the lake is known for thumps the bait.
producing BIG white crappies, I would
purchase large minnows. If the lake
was known for smaller white crappies, I the bite is slow.
would purchase medium minnows. And “If I you go back to the same area
if I was fishing black crappies, I would the next day and the crappies will not
buy small or medium minnows – never bite – don’t panic! The fish have not
large.” left the area. This is the time I go to
He says he always starts trolling a 1/4-ounce rig, and really slow way
at .5 mph as judged by his sonar GPS, down to entice a bite reaction from
with bait rigs staggered at various crappies.”
depths. Then he starts adjusting the A forty-year angling veteran, Dan
speed and depth based on the fish Dannenmueller of Alabama devotes
reaction – speeding up if the fish are all his fishing time these days to
hitting aggressively or slowing down if crappie tournaments. He won Crappie

13 Crappie NOW June 2016