How to Match Crappie Fishing Tactics with B’n’M Products (Part 1)

March 06, 2018

How to Match Crappie Fishing Tactics with B’n’M Products (Part 1)

By Phillip Gentry

How many times have you heard about a crappie fishing tactic that grabbed your interest but you weren’t exactly sure how to get started? Many successful crappie fishing tactics started off as old time tactics and have been refined. In some cases a tactic might be popular in one part of the country, but unheard of in another.

In the first of a two-part series, we’ll take you through an exploration of crappie fishing tactics, give you some insight along the way, and give some advice on selecting the right B’n’M Fishing product to make you successful.

In part 1, we’ll take a look at multiple rod fishing tactics. These tactics require the use of rod holders to hold the rod securely in place while the boat moves the entire system in unison, imparting any action and providing bait positioning relative to fish and structure.

Multiple rod tactics can be broken down into two major categories – pushing and pulling – along with several variations.

Tight Line Trolling also known as Slow Vertical Trolling, Spider Rigging, or Pushing, probably accounts for more crappie catches across the country than any other method. The tactic uses long rods to push baits out in front of a boat being propelled by an electric trolling motor.

B’n’M offers a variety of rods suitable for tight line trolling including the Buck’s Graphite Jig Pole, Capps and Coleman Trolling rod, Pro Staff Trolling rods, Duck Commander Crappie Trolling Rod, and the West Point Crappie Pole.

The basic minnow rig uses live minnows for bait anchored by a large egg sinker to hold the line in a vertical position. The double hook minnow rig is the most popular bait rig and adds an additional short leader and hook above the weight via a three way swivel.

B’n’M’s Capps/Coleman Minnow Rig uses the same specifications described by the winningest team in crappie fishing and comes pre-packed in different weights.

For anglers who want a ready-made double hook minnow rig, B’n’M offers the Capps and Coleman minnow rig. This is the exact rig used by Ronnie Capps and Steve Coleman that has garnered them over $1.3 million in tournament winnings and has been named Angler Team of the Year seven times.

These rigs are precision tied for the best balance to minimize line twist and create a near perfect live bait presentation. Each rig is created for your exact need to catch crappie at any depth or trolling speed throughout the year.

Another productive method when tight lining shallow water during the spawn is to push crappie jigs from 1/16 to ¼ ounce on tight line rods.

Power Trolling is a beefy variation of tight lining often regarded as a summertime tactic using heavy weights, sometimes up to 3 ounces to push vertical rigs at faster speeds. Think fast vertical trolling. Because of the added pressure from heavy weights and faster trolling speeds, power trolling requires a stouter rod and was the basis for the recent redesign of B’n’M’s Pow-R-Troller rod.

Power Trolling is a popular tight line method that was the basis for B’n’M’s new POW-R-Troller rod.

Long Line Trolling, also known as Pulling sees a lot of use in the Carolinas, Georgia and parts of Alabama, but is also gaining interest across the country when crappie are suspended, scattered or not heavily concentrated in one particular area. Long lining is a favorite during pre-spawn and post spawn crappie fishing.

For long line trolling, rods are spaced around the rear, sides and sometimes front of the boat with the fishing line and baits trailing the boat. Popular products for long ling include the Buck’s Graphite Jig Pole, Buck’s Gold Jig Pole, The Difference by Roger Gant, and the Crappie Wizard Series rods.

Standard long lining uses crappie jigs for bait. Depth of presentation is a combination of jig weight, trolling speed and amount of line out. Most anglers find trolling single jigs to be preferable to reduce cross-ups when trolling multiple lines and making turns. Tandem jigs add more weight to the line as well as more hooks in the water but can create problems if wide turns are not properly executed when trolling.

If you’ve never seen a two pound white crappie inhale a 300 series crankbait, you need to head out to Mississippi or Texas and try long lining crankbaits. Crankbait trolling is immensely popular while requiring a stouter rod to withstand the drag of a 3 inch crankbait. B’n’M Pro-Staff Trolling rods and Pow-R-Trollers are recommended.

Trolling crankbaits for crappie is a deadly technique and B’n’M has got the rod you need to be successful.

Pulling doesn’t always have to be from the back of the boat and long- time Lake Pickwick guide Roger Gant proved this when he developed his Side Pulling tactic which employs a trolling motor mounted to the side of the boat to pull jigs across the lake.

Gant also designed The Difference rod for B’n’M to compliment his tactic.

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Stay tuned for part 2 of this series where single pole crappie fishing tactics will be discussed along with recommendations for which B’n’M products are best suited.

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Wherever fishing takes you, B’n’M has been there. Visit our catalog online at bnmpoles.com

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