Right where it belongs—proof that a Road Runner, fished slow or
worked just right, is hard for any crappie to resist. (Photo by Keith Sutton)
Crappie Basics: Fishing a Road Runner
By Keith Sutton
Bert Hall, the Missouri Ozarks stream fisherman who invented the Blakemore Road Runner spinner, also crafted the wise slogan, “You can’t fish a Road Runner wrong as long as you fish it slow.”
In many cases, slow is best, but crappie anglers shouldn’t be buttonholed into fishing the Road Runner just one way. Depending on water conditions and the mood of the fish, this fabulous, famous, fish-catching lure can be fished slow or fast, deep or shallow, vertically or horizontally.
The simplest method, perhaps, is just casting the lure and reeling it in at a snail’s pace—just fast enough so the blade turns. You also can drop a Road Runner beneath your boat and fish different depths with little hops and twitches that will get a big slab’s attention.
(Keith Sutton of Alexander, Arkansas is the editor of CrappieNOW and its sister publication, CatfishNOW.)
