Capt. Lillie says he finds that the jig trailers on his trolled crankbaits work best midday,
after the early morning hot bite slows down. He believes it has increased his catch rates by as
much as 100%. (Photo: Capt. Scott Lillie)
Crappie Basics: Try a Crankbait Trailer Jig
by Richard Simms
Lots of crappie anglers love trolling or pushing crankbaits for deep, summertime crappie. However, Capt. Scott Lillie, a guide with Scenic City Fishing Charters on the Tennessee River, recently shared a tip that he says has doubled his crappie catch rate.
“I’ve started rigging jig trailers to run behind all my trolled crankbaits,” he said. “I do believe it has increased my catch rate by 100 percent”
Capt. Lillie, featured in last month’s CrappieNOW, has been trolling Walleye Nation Creations Boogie Shad crankbaits for years. But this summer he added something special he read about a Mississippi angler using.
“I’m adding a Crappie Magnet Tiny Dancer jig as a trailer behind my crankbaits,” he said. “I tie 12-inches of 6-pound fluorocarbon line to the rear hook of the Boogie Shad. I attach the Tiny Dancer on an unweighted, single inline VMC Hook. Rigged on the Boogie Shads, it doesn’t affect the crankbait action at all.”
Capt. Lillie says he routinely trolls at 1.5-to-1.7 mph. He says crappie seem to hit the crankbaits best during the peak, morning or evening feeding times, however, “Midday, when the bite slows down, almost all my fish come on the jig.”
On a guide trip Capt. Lillie did the day of this writing he said, “We caught 22 keepers this morning and at least 25 shorts (under the 10-inch size limit). Every keeper we caught, except four, hit the trailing jig.”
Pretty strong testimony on a technique you should try.
Capt. Richard Simms is the Editor of CrappieNOW magazine as well as owner of Scenic City Fishing Charters. He is a former game warden for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency before becoming a photographer and PR guy for TWRA. That lead to a 30-year career as a broadcast journalist and freelance outdoor writer. You can follow Capt. Simms on Facebook.
