One aspect of crappie fishing that is often ignored is rod control. Where and how you hold your rod is important for hooking and landing fish successfully. (Photo courtesy Wired2Fish)
Crappie Basics: Rod Control
Wally Marshall (a.k.a. Mr. Crappie) is one of the most well-known names in crappie fishing. That is for good reason. There’s isn’t much about crappie fishing he doesn’t know.
Mr. Crappie teamed up with the folks at Wired2Fish to share some tips on how best to set the hook and fight a crappie – a craft that is often ignored in the crappie fishing world. His tips are especially helpful for beginners.
If you prefer, watch the video below. But Wally lays out these six important rod control tips:
- Keep rod tip low when fighting fish. This allows you to have ultimate control and fighting power. By fighting a fish with your rod over your head, you also maximize your chances of breaking your rod. Instead, keep your rod low and in control.
- Maintain a low rod tip when retrieving bait. This is essential in setting the hook once you get a bite. If your rod is up in the air and you get bit, you have nowhere to go with the hookset. Having the rod in a lower position gives you a full range to pin those fish.
- Use wrist to set hook. It does not take a ‘full wind-up’ hookset to stick a hook in a crappie. By flicking your wrist in an upward direction, you can pin fish without tearing the crappie’s tender mouth.
- Take your time reeling fish in. Wally stresses not horsing the fish in. Again, with the tenderness of a crappie’s mouth, it is really easy to pull the hook out if you try to hurry the fish in. Take your time, relax, and enjoy the fight!
- Whip line down after cast. Why? By getting your slack line down at water level, you minimize it getting blown around in the wind. Especially with light crappie baits, creating a bow in your line can result in your bait not reaching its desired depth.
- Keep in contact with bait. Wally saved one of the most important tips for last. It is essential to stay in contact with your bait at all times so you can feel when you get a bite. If a crappie grabs your lure and your line is not tight, the fish can spit the bait out before you even knew you had it.
EQUIPMENT USED:
- PLASTIC – Strike King Mr. Crappie ShadPole Curlytail, Monkey Shine color
- JIG – Strike King Mr. Crappie Slab Slasher Jig Head, 1/8th ounce
- ROD – Lew’s Wally Marshall Pro Target Rod, 7-foot’ Medium light
- REEL – Lew’s Mr. Crappie Signature Series Spinning Reel
- LINE – Mr. Crappie Hi-Vis Monofilament Line, 6-pound test
