Arizona Crappie Association
Fishing and Dock Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: Fishless on April 20, 2020, 03:51 PM
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I know there has been talk about trolling with small crank baits for crappie. Buddy asked about it since I don't trol wondering what brand and type of deep diving crank bait have people used to slow troll for crappie.
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I have a bunch of small crank baits intended to use for crappie, but I've never used them. I don't know why, just never think to use them.
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years ago Art used Bandit 200s , I have used them and Berkley Flicker shads #4 and #5 also Rapala shad raps #4 #5 , but if you are going down that road be advised you get screwed on price here in Az much more expensive then they are in the Midwest and online , Scheels on line and Fleet Farm online frequently have flicker shads 3 for $9, Bass pro want 4.99 each I use these because we use them for walleyes up north and I have hundreds of them . Arizona Bowhunter used them with Off shore inline planner boards for Crappies here on Alamo Lake . He was doing some experimenting for off shore , I was with him on several occasions we had real good success but when the lake was crowded planner boards are a hazard. I do not know if Art is still using them. He used them in midwinter fishing midlake over shad schools ,God that was longer ago then I thought I could remember I think the Bandits were 1.99 back then .I believe he gave a seminar at Sportsmans warehouse in Mesa showing his technique. He used a three way and a 1/2 once weight and a crank bait . if I look hard enough I may even have a diagram from that seminar .Give it a shot something that looks like a shad and runs 8 to 10 ft down should work over shad mid lake no trees etc .Trees and crank baits are expensive . I may try it again but darn that livescope is so much fun to use with long poles but it should work with pulling crank baits .Damn fishless now I am feeling really Old . found it attached
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Strike King 3XD Crankbaits. I've been pushing them instead of pulling with 3 oz weights. Bandit 200 & 300 series cranks also.
Good success at Alamo but as Craig said, watch the trees. I can see the cranks/weights on my graph so can pretty much figure out their running depth and adjust as needed.
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Great thanks for the info I will pass it on
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Dive chart for Bandit cranks - pulling cranks & assuming 10 lbs mono ish line
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I have Bandit 300, Strike King 3DX, Berkley Flicker Shad, Rapala Shad Rap and Storm Thunder Stick. Basicall any crank that is on the smaller ends but can dive to 8-12 FOW. I have long-line trolled with them (100-200 yds) and pushed them with 3-4 oz weights with success at Alamo. Haven't tried them at Bartlett but think they would do well there. There are a TON of YouTube videos out there on the subject.
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Thanks, there is a lot of science into dragging crank baits or pushing them for crappie. I have always just casted them and brought them back to the boat when fishing for bass knowing the different depths they are designed to run.
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I have used the flicker shad and smaller shad raps with limited success. Many others with little or no success. But I somehow have managed to hang onto this gem for 10 years or maybe more and have boated more slabs on it than all others. Lucky craft bevy crank, hard to find these days. Pretty much only use with braid trolling open water anymore and if your in the boat be prepared for a hard left or right if I get snagged. :o
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Watched a boat load of Youtube videos this past summer and found a lot of guys in the mid west trolling crank baits for Crappie during the heat of the summer. Most of them are trolling Bandit 300's. Most of them were casting out as far as they could and with trial and error found the fish.
Did a little more research and found that the fish in the summer suspend at or slightly above the thermocline. Also found that the masters of trolling crankbaits are the walleye fishermen. Turns out there is an app for your phone that tells with a certain crankbait and one of two line sizes how much line you need to have out to get to a certain depth. linked here https://www.precisiontrollingdata.com/
Late last fall we had an opportunity to try at Alamo. Was absolutely amazing. In about 4 hours we trolled a total of 4 rods and caught 28 crappie and somewhere north of 40 bass. The next week we tried again but only ended up with 13 crappie
We used both Bandit 300's and Strike King 3XD. Both worked. Key was having enough line out to get down to the thermocline.
Have not had a chance to try much this spring so not sure how it will work right now.
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I bought the Person Trolling book years ago just before the app was available. Pretty good resource.
I find it much easier to push from the front of boat than pulling. When first using cranks, I used metered braid that was colored in 4 different colors with each color being about 25' in length. You use that colors to determine how much line you have out when pulling cranks. Use the depth chart to determine your lures running depth.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/PowerPro-Depth-Hunter-Metered-Braid/1185653.uts
Also have had better luck by dropping my kicker & trolling at higher speeds like +2 mph