Tiny Tubes for Crappie
by Ken Sturdivant
Southern Fishing Schools Inc.
Lots of schools of crappie gather under
docks in the cold weather and these fish can be caught by the patient
angler. But you'll have to fish deep and have several places to fish
on the lake.
In the fall and winter, fishing is really great for these schooling
fish.
Most of the lake will be deserted because many people winterize
their
boats and fishermen have the lake to themselves. But best of all
is the fact
the the crappie school up very tightly and it's a lot easier to find
and catch lots of fish under cold water conditions.
As the water
cools down,
the crappie will be moving to the deeper waters and will be feeding
as the the water temperate starts dropping off. But the colder months
does
not mean they cannot be caught.
In late fall to early winter, anglers
can catch schools of crappie under the docks as well as some
of the larger spotted bass. The spots and the crappie in Lanier bunch
up
in
schools
under
deep docks and you'll see them on a quality Lowrance depth
finder. The trick is to use tiny lures and a slow presentation. The Creme
Lure Company
and Bass Pro Shops both make small mini tube jigs and anglers
use these small jigs on light 4 pound test line. An ultra light rod
and
reel and the vertical jigging technique is the best winter time method
for
these
fish. Adding some scent can also help when the bite really
slows down.
Add some Jack's Juice to a zip lock bag and then put the baits
in the bag overnight. The baits will absorb the scent into the plastic
and
will not
wash off like other scents. By slowly doodling these lures
in a
variety of colors in deep water, these tiny baits look like candy
to the
fish.
The strikes are always very light and you have to pay close
attention to the line and the feel of the rod. But once you learn to
fish
these lures
deep and very slowly the fish will bite even in the coldest
months. Once the water gets too cold for the usual fishing techniques,
try this trick
with the mini tube jigs. The fish are almost always under the
deeper docks, so when you find them all
you have to do is make them bite.
