with Darrell Baker
“When we’re fishing river ledges in the fall and winter, I tell my anglers to set the hook hard,” Baker emphasizes. “If you set the hook hard, many crappie fishermen believe that you’ll tear that small membrane on the edge of the crappie’s lip and lose the fish. The reason I tell my anglers to set the hook hard when they see their rod tips or lines twitch is because when we’re fishing in heavy brush, as soon as that crappie takes the minnow, I want to turn his head up to get him out of the brush. Also when you set the hook hard and fast, the crappie won’t swallow the bait as deep in its mouth. This makes removing the hook easier and prevents killing young crappie that have had time to swallow the bait and let the hook get into their gills or their stomach.
“Another advantage that we have with the B‘n’M poles is because these poles are so sensitive that when you set the hook hard, much of the force delivered to the point of the hook is absorbed by the bend of the rod. When you have a light rod that is very sensitive and flexible back to the midpoint of the rod, a good portion of the hook-setting energy goes into bending the rod instead of jerking the crappie’s lips off.”
To contact Baker: www.weisslakecrappieguides.com; cell 256-557-0129; email Darrell@weisslakeguides.com
To learn more about how to fish for crappie click here: http://johninthewild.com/books/#crappie.
