Trolling, or pulling, is a popular way to find and catch summer crappie. Southern anglers have used this tactic successfully for years. Trolling means different things to different fishermen, but in general, it’s putting baits behind the boat and using a trolling motor to pull jigs or crankbaits.
Jigs: Action is important. The typical choice in the summer is a high-action tail. Small is okay, but they need action. A Johnson Shad Curltail is a new-age curly tail example mixing profile with action. Paddle tails are popular with Brewer Slider and Assassin Crappie Dapper being good ones proven to work. Super-tails are popular with Bobby Garland’s Stroll’R being a great example of a curly tail and paddle tail combination. To pick up crappie by fast trolling jigs, try more than one action and look so the crappie can show you what they want. –TH
