OPENING CAST
In many circles, if you don’t have a bucket of minnows in the boat (or on the bank), you’re not crappie fishing.
In other circles, however, if you DO have a bucket of minnows, you’re not REALLY crappie fishing.
I have one friend who jokingly tells me that fishing minnows, or even trolling jigs, is “cheating.” He is strictly a “one pole, one (artificial) lure” angler – what I call a “crappie fishing purist.”
He told me, “I’ll be chunking and winding with a big smile on my face and enjoying every minute that the good Lord gives me. No trolling, no Livescope and no minners.”
There is nothing wrong with that. I respect a man who wants to go “mano a mano” with crappie – using only advanced skills, techniques and experience to convince the ever-so-popular fish that his lure is the perfect meal.
I can’t prove it, but I suspect my friend is in the minority in the world of crappie fishing. I believe the overwhelming majority of crappie anglers are minnow dippers.
But the fact is, there is MUCH more to being successful than simply sticking a minnow on a hook and dropping it in the water. There is preparation, skill and effort required even if your crappie lure is living, breathing, kicking and flopping of its own accord.
In this issue of CrappieNOW, regular contributors Darl Black and Brent Frazee cover the finer points of live bait fishing, or “matching the hatch” for crappie. I am betting that if you read what they share, your crappie-catch will go up.
Check out “Sometimes Live Bait Matters, by Darl Black” and “Match the Hatch, Even for Crappie, by Brent Frazee.”
If you’re a minnow dipper, you’ll be glad you did.
As always, we appreciate your support and welcome your feedback. Please send it to us at info@crappienow.com
Richard Simms, Editor
“The outdoors is not a place, it’s a state of mind.”
