Well-known outdoor writer Keith “Catfish” Sutton says the next time you are cleaning crappie, save and store some fish scales. He says those scales may help “fire up” the crappie on your favorite brushpile.
Crappie Basics – An off-the-wall technique
It is definitely not a technique you hear about often, but well-known outdoor writer Keith “Catfish” Sutton has a suggestion for a novel technique that may be worth a try this summer.
Anglers often use lights at night to attract insects and bait fish, basically attracting “chum” to attract crappie. Sutton says you can sometimes do the same thing in daylight hours. Minnows can be attracted to a specific area with dry dog food, bread crumbs or similar attractants. He says you can scatter your chum by handfuls in several different shallow-water areas. The he says go back to the very first area you baited and drop in a minnow.
Or another chumming technique is to save some scales from the next crappie you dress. Rinse them and store inside a container filled with water. Carry it with you on your next fishing trip and if things get slow, drop a few scales in the water above your favorite brushpile. As the scales sink, they flicker and catch the eye of crappie, which often will move toward them to investigate. A jig or minnow presented on a tight line in the vicinity may get hit.
Learn more great crappie fishing tip and techniques from Sutton’s “Crappie Fishing Handbook.”
