Question: Ronnie, you just recently won with your partner, Steve Coleman, a Crappie USA tournament. When you’re fishing in June and July, how deep will the crappie be concentrated, and how will you catch them in that deep water?

Capps: The deepest I’ve ever caught crappie was on J. Percy Priest Lake, an impoundment on the Stones River in north-central Tennessee near Nashville, when I caught crappie in 65 feet of water. That’s the first time I’ve deep-sea fished in fresh water. My partner Steve Coleman and I were fishing a Crappie USA event there a few years ago. We found some cedar bushes along the old river channel that were standing beside the Stones River before the reservoir was flooded. Those old cedar trees lined the entire river channel. We started fishing the biggest bushes we could find and used our bulldozer tactic to smash live minnows into those cedar trees. Steve and I only fished two poles each, but we finished third in the tournament.

You have to remember that when you’re fishing a clear lake, you’ll find crappie holding in the really-deep structures. Now, this only happens on lakes with current coming through them and enough oxygen for the crappie to survive in that deep water. Many lakes, however, stratify in the hot weather, and there’s a thermocline at a certain depth where the water’s cool but still oxygenated. Below that thermocline, there won’t be enough oxygen for the crappie, or the water will be too cold to make the crappie comfortable. The lakes usually stratify and create a thermocline in July and August. You won’t find current flowing in lakes like Reelfoot Lake or the Big Sandy South Arm on Kentucky Lake, and these lakes will form thermoclines when the weather gets hot. When a lake stratifies, a thermocline is created. The crappie will come-up out of that deep brush and suspend right along the edge of that thermocline. Before the hot weather, the crappie may have been holding tight (jammed) into that deep brush. However, when the thermocline starts to be created, and the oxygen level gets low in that deep water, the crappie and the baitfish will move-up and suspend along the thermocline. That’s where the water is the most comfortable, and the crappie will have the oxygen the need to survive. When this occurs in the hot summer months, you really can catch a lot of crappie using crankbaits and the Capps and Coleman Crankbait Rigs.

Question: Do you ever pull crankbaits?

Capps: Yes, I do. I push them on the front of the boat and pull them on the back of the boat.

Question: Which poles do you use when you’re pushing and pulling crankbaits?

Capps: I’ll use the B ‘n’ M 14-foot Pro Staff Trolling Pole. On the poles I’m pushing, I’ll often use a bell sinker as heavy as 4 ounces, depending on the water depth I’m fishing. When I’m pulling the crankbaits, I’ll only use a 1-ounce sinker. B ‘n’ M has a Capps and Coleman double-crankbait rig that allows Ronnie and I to pull and push two crankbaits on one pole. I’ll generally push four poles off the front and pull two to four poles on the back of the boat. Steve’s actually fishing on the front of the boat when we’re trolling crankbaits, and I generally fish on the back of the boat.

Question: Over what types of areas do you troll crankbaits?

Capps: We try to follow underwater contours of creek channels, river channels, ditches and ledges. I try to keep my baits where there’s the most structure any time of the year. Creek channels and river channels generally have a lot of structure on them. During the hot summer months, the crappie often will be suspended above those stumps. So, by following those creek channels and pushing and pulling crankbaits, you can have a fun day of fishing for and catching crappie, even on the hottest days of summer.

Question: Ronnie, why do you like the B ‘n’ M Pro Staff Trolling Pole when you’re fishing your double-crankbait rig?

Capps: The Pro Staff Trolling Pole is a really-stiff pole. It’s much heavier, and if you’ll be pulling or pushing a 4-ounce bait, you need a stiffer pole to support the weight. The Capps and Coleman poles are designed to support about 1 ounce of weight, and you can fish a minnow rig with a weight as light as 1/4-ounce to as heavy as 1 ounce. Once you put more than 1 ounce of weight on those poles, they bend over. When you’re trolling for crappie, you want your pole to keep its shape as much as possible. To set the hook when you’re trolling crankbaits, you need a firm pole. That’s the reason we like the B ‘n’ M Pro Staff Trolling Poles when we’re pushing and pulling crankbaits.

Question: Ronnie, what crankbaits do you use?

Capps: I prefer the Rapala broken-back-designed crankbaits and the Bandit 300 Series crankbaits for the bottom lure.

Question: How does the Capps and Coleman Crankbait Rig differ from the Capps and Coleman Minnow Rig?

Capps: The crankbait rig has the lead on the bottom instead of in the middle of the rig. But the Bandit 300 Series crankbait is on a 3-inch leader, so it’s digging down below the lead.

Question: How’s the rig set-up?

Capps: We have a three-way swivel with a bell sinker attached almost to the swivel, maybe 1/2- to 2-inches off the swivel. The other end of the swivel has 30-inches of leader with a Bandit 300 Series crankbait attached to it. The last eye of the swivel is tied to my main line, which is 15-pound-test P-Line. When I put this rig in the water, the broken-back crankbait swims straight, and the Bandit 300 Series digs toward the bottom below the sinker. Using this rig, I can cover 6 feet of water when I’m trolling down these creek and river channels.

Question: What color crankbaits do you have tied-on, Ronnie?

Capps: They’ll either be white or shad patterned, and I’ll occasionally use the fire-tiger color. But white has always been my favorite. Using this tactic and these crankbaits, you can catch crappie even into August.

Question: Ronnie, where do you believe this technique will play a major role in crappie fishing?