# Long time OGF'er- New to Crappie trolling



## H2O Mellon

Hi guys. I've been a member here @ OGF since it's inception and actually years prior to that when we were all over at GoFishOhio. I had years of fun talking catfish then went to muskie fishing years ago. This spring I'm going to be gearing up for crappie trolling. I wanted to share some ideas and welcome comments. Before I do that though I'd like to say thanks to the other crappie guys commenting in the threads here in the Panfish area as it's helped me quite a bit already.

One reason I'm doing this is my 17 year old son has caught more Muskie than he's caught panfish. This is no joke. He's gotten into fishing late due to being active in sports. He's still very active in three sports for his high school. For those in similar situations know nowadays know it's almost a full time job keeping up with highschool sport and training schedules.

My setup: 
2017 Lund Rebel 1600 SS
2017 25 HP Merc 4 stroke
Trolling motor: 55 # Minnkota Power Drive V1
Humming Helix 10 Chirp Mega DI G2
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*Rod Holders:* I don't envision doing spider rigging so I had planned on just getting some generic Cabelas/Ram/Scotty etc plastic holders. The reason for this is I have four Lund track mounted plates at the ready. Last fall I purchased four Fat AZ Musky rod holders and decided to leave the Lund mounts on in case I decided to use them for panfish. Would a metal rod holder such as Driftmasters or Tite-Loc's be better for crappie trolling? 

*Reels: *Boy, I've spent a couple hours over the last few days on this topic alone. Spinning vs Baitcasting LC's? I read where a former (2016 perhaps?) Cabelas Crappie Trail Champ won with using Abu 6500 LC's. Prior to my research I would have thought to have been overkill but it seems as if LC's are a very popular tool in Crappie trolling. To be completely honest, and I know this will sound odd coming from a Musky fisherman but I don't want o drop $100+ each on four new reels. If LC's are deemed to be the best route to go what do you guys think about more inexpensive lines such as Cabelas Depth Masters or basic Okuma's? One other question related to LC's, how well do the clip on LC's works? I believe Berkley makes these for under $20. If a standard spinning reel if prefered I'd have no problem purchasing four clip on LC's. I've never used them but read in a prior thread about one particular OGF'er who seems to like them. One big question I have about bait casting LC's is how well they'd work with smaller jigs. I know they'd be fine with small crankbaits but what about 1/4 jigs? Am I just over thinking this?

*Rods:* This is another area where I've spent some time as of late. Especially in the Muskie world, if you don't have the latest, greatest or most expensive then most other tend to look down at you. When I was younger I had a tendency to do this too. Even as it related to catfishing. An example of this was having to have only St Croix Classic Cat rods. Boy, looking back (20 years ago) I was an idiot. The Muskie world seems to be the worst though. If you are not using an $80 lure the internet trollers really lay into you. I use (and catch Musky) on baits that wouldn't even make some fishermens's tackle box. For example we've had up to 5 fish days on old Storm Magnum Hot-n-Tots. I only mention the latest, greatest and most expensive ideas because so far, to my surprise I've been impressed with the Bass Pro Uncle Buck Crappie rods. I compared these to BnM and Crappie Max HD rods and for $60 less the Uncle Bucks felt very good to me. Is this because I'm inexperienced in Crappie trolling? I know the rod choice is going to depend on the reel choice. If I go with spinning reels I thought about getting two 10 foot Uncle Bucks rods and two shorter rods, probably in the 7-8 foot range. I assume my lengths would be the same even if I went with casting rods but not sure if the Uncle Buck line are spinning only. I really welcome comments on potential rod choices.

*Planner Boards:* I've read about the minni boards by Offshore. Since my boat is small (16 foot) I know boards would help but to be honest, I think I'd rather go with longer rods (10-12) instead of the boards but welcome opinions about this.

*Baits:*
Cranks
My plan is to purchase Berkley Flicker Shads in size 4, 5 & 6. I bought some in 4 & 5 yesterday. I also have plans of purchasing some Bandits in size 200 & 300, Salmo Hornets and make use of some smaller Rapallas that I already have and finally buy some smaller size Hot-N-Tots.

Rubber/Jigs
I just bought some Storm swimbaits I want to say in 1/4 oz and obviously have jigs and tails from 1/32 oz up to 3/8 oz.

Gulp/Minnows
I was going to buy some Gulp and tip jogs with it while other days perhaps tipping the jigs w/ minnows.

*Misc Rigs:*
Overstock Bait and Tackle had some killer deals on Booyah rigs so I bought a few of these. I like the idea of being able to get shallow crank bait down deeper if needed. I was able to get these rigs for less than $1 each so figured what the heck. Does anyone have experience with these? I got a couple of the 1/4 oz Alpine and Boo rigs. Does anyone have any experience with these?
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Thanks for taking the time to read this and again, I welcome the feedback.


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## ristorap

For trolling I use the Rapala clip on line counters. I have had no problems with them. I like that I can use the same rod & reel for different things, not just for trolling.
The rod holders that work with you're boat rail system will be fine.

I like to go and put the rod & reel together to see how it feels holding it, put it through the motions of what you are using it for. For spinning combo to make sure it is balanced.

Boards come in a smaller version called mini boards. You could just use 2 different length rods and not buy boards .

Cranks - the Bandit 300 has crappie colors and Strike king has cranks in crappie colors. Any small crank bait that you have will work - Flicker shads, shad raps, minnow baits, small hot - n - tots.

Jigs - small grubs, boot tails, creature baits will work. Gulp minnows, leaches, worms will last on jigs longer than live bait. 

Hope this helps you and good luck with the trolling for the crappie.


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## sixtyminutes

H2O, I am not much of a crappie troller as I am usually targeting other species but I spend a lot of time reeling in crappies. Trolling is one of my favorite ways to fish and trolling is trolling. Precise depth control is critical in trolling. Line counters reels help you be precise. You do not need to invest big bucks. Make sure that you really like the technique before you spend a bunch. Same with the rod holders. Same for rods. Trolling rods don't need to be graphite. It is not about feel as much as action and length. If you set up new LC's use the exact same amount of backing, if you use backing, and the exact same amount of line. That should help make sure that the actual line out is the same for each reel. Use the counter to keep track as you spool up. As Ristorap said the mini planners work great for smaller baits and cost a lot less. Good luck man!


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## H2O Mellon

Thanks for the info so far. I do in fact love trolling (for Muskie) which is a big reason I made the decision to switch things up a bit in the spring and target Crappie, not to mention the fact it will provide more time on the water with my son not to mention a chance to try some new water as we've strictly been Muskie fishing for years. My boat is set up specifically to troll so I hope to be a step or two ahead of the curve at least initially. Back in he day where it was my dad and I fishing for Crappie it was days at Lake Logan in Hocking County or Buck Creek here closer to home with ultra lights and stick bobbers or maybe jigs and the ole Beetle Spins. As with most everything else it seems as if Crappie fishing has evolved too. What I wouldn't do to have a few of those ole days back.


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## chaunc

Those old methods still work just fine. We just choose to go modern because we can. A bucket of minnows and bobbers still catch fish if there’s fish where you’re fishin.


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## Lewzer

Besides the beetle spin, this is my all time #1 crappie trolling bait.

Bill Dance Fat Free shad fingerling in pearl white

https://discounttackle.com/products...MIr8jzr7Pd5gIVCr7ACh01fAmqEAQYAyABEgLc8PD_BwE


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## H2O Mellon

Thanks! I bought 5 total. 2 in Pearl White, 1 Firetiger, 1 Tiger Perch and 1 Speckled Perch.


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## RIVERRUNT

BIll Norman Deep Tiny Ns are one of my favorite crappie cranks char/blue white chartreuse chrome blue chrome black right now tackle warehouse has them for 4.54 dont know how long there gonna be on sale.Another of my top producers are jointed shad raps in blue shad or silver JS04s


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## polebender

Arky crappie crankbaits and flickershads in 5cm. Gives you both types of actions.


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## Morrowtucky Mike

Flicker shads are absolute crappie killers. Actually if it swims they will hit flicker shads. Blue/chrome sold exclusively by Sheels is my #1 crappie color. Don’t overlook #5 flicker minnows either. Helps to reach those crappie that are suspended in deeper water. My best speed is between 2-2 1/2 but have caught plenty of crappie trolling for saugeye at 3+.


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## ezbite

no need for boards or longer rods (i tried that and its just a pain) run the rods in the holders and count out as your letting line out, close enough. for instance, letting out line (make sure you're seeing line peel off the reel), count to 20 in your head (for diving baits), set the bail, put in rod holder and wait, maybe count out to 50 (for floater baits) for the other rod your running.

and by the way a purple body,black head silver beetle spin will catch any fish we fish for and you can troll them too.


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## dgfidler

H2O, if you decide to go the route of using line counters, the Cabelas Depth Masters will be OK for crappie. The real difference between those reels and higher cost reels is the drag. It tends to be ‘sticky’ which becomes an issue with larger fish. Imagine having a decent Muskie on the line and the drag catches. I discovered this downfall when I started salmon fishing. The drag would catch and ‘snap’ resulting in lost fish and tackle. The line counters sometimes require a flick from your finger to engage also. They sometimes put these reels on sale for $19.99 so don’t pay full price. I had eight of these reels lying around after switching over to Diawa Sealine reels for my Great Lakes fishing and I repurposed them as crappie trolling reels. I’m no expert with crappie, but I liked using stern planers to get a real easy four line spread where you can check for a fish without having to reel in a planer board. Pulling cranks works well, but I found there were times where we’d pull crankbaits thru a school of crappie and get no bites then reset for spider rigging and ease through that same school and catch fish. I just mounted some rail mount Scotty rod holder adapters to my bow rails to enable slider rigging. It’s not as good as a dedicated setup but is better than nothing. We use the same rod holders up front as in the back. We just move them to the front if we’re going to spider rig. Spider rigging requires trolling motor, but I’m guessing you already have that. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Popspastime

You didn't mention if you were going to push them or pull them. Ohio has a 2 rod per max where as you go south there's 4 and 6 rod max. Pushing or "Spider Rigging" involves different length rods in different positions for spacing. Pulling or "Trolling" can easier be done with like size rods. Depends on the tech you like to use for the catching part.


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## H2O Mellon

Thanks for all the comments guys. Boy, those 300 Bandits sure look nice. I really like the ones I've gotten. I think I got some cranks that ended up being a size too big but here soon I'm going to bust out a bunch of stuff and throw it on the Marketplace for trades.

BTW, I'll prob be pulling, aka trolling rather than Spider Rigging.

EZBite, I do need to stock up on some good ole classic Beattle Spins!


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## H2O Mellon

Also, don't laugh but I ended up going w/ Shakespeare ATS line counter reels. I was reading a crappie forum with a bunch of Texas fisherman and folks were raving about these reels even with their cheap prices so I picked up two of the smallest size ones. I figure when it's my son and I we'll use those plus a couple spinning reels. 

Another positive note, I've been wanting to someone how use my Just Encase box I bought a couple years a go at the Ohio Muskie Show. It's a box for small baits and it now has some Flciker Shads, Bandits, Rap and mini Wiggle Warts in it. I've going to have to grab a couple Norman Tiny N's too.


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## crappiedude

Not much I can add to this since I don't troll but it's good to see you posting again.


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## H2O Mellon

Just an update..... I hate you guys. 

All winter I've been stockpiling Bandits. I've paid anywhere from $5 to $7 depending on what I like. I've gotten 35 total in 200 or 300 series. I thought I was done until I went to the Ciny Fishing show yesterday and someone had then new in the pack for $3 each. Luckily the guy in front of me bought 5 or 6. I then bought the rest. 

I've picked up about 25 Flicker Shads

3 Hornets (those little guys are impossible to find on sale)

Handful of Wiggle Warts, small Hot n Tots, bunch of jigs, some 1.0 KVD Strike Kings and a dozen or so small Rapala Shad Raps and a couple Beetle Spins, could use a few more of those I guess. It has felt nice to be able to buy a handful of baits for what a since Muskie bait costs me. 

I picked up a couple LC's, some rods and all that stuff. 

I got some new rod holders for an amazing deal, Yak Attack holders on Ram mounts. For the price I'm going to give them a shot as my Muskie holders are not going to cut it.

I'm rocking an old school Minnkota Power Drive so tonight I'm going to order a new Power Drive with spot lock and auto track, etc. (This was not an upgrade just for crappie fishing of course.)

I have made some bad decisions though. I bought some baits in the wrong sizes that I'm going to be throwing up on the marketplace soon.


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## Morrowtucky Mike

H2O Mellon said:


> Just an update..... I hate you guys.
> 
> All winter I've been stockpiling Bandits. I've paid anywhere from $5 to $7 depending on what I like. I've gotten 35 total in 200 or 300 series. I thought I was done until I went to the Ciny Fishing show yesterday and someone had then new in the pack for $3 each. Luckily the guy in front of me bought 5 or 6. I then bought the rest.
> 
> I've picked up about 25 Flicker Shads
> 
> 3 Hornets (those little guys are impossible to find on sale)
> 
> Handful of Wiggle Warts, small Hot n Tots, bunch of jigs, some 1.0 KVD Strike Kings and a dozen or so small Rapala Shad Raps and a couple Beetle Spins, could use a few more of those I guess. It has felt nice to be able to buy a handful of baits for what a since Muskie bait costs me.
> 
> I picked up a couple LC's, some rods and all that stuff.
> 
> I got some new rod holders for an amazing deal, Yak Attack holders on Ram mounts. For the price I'm going to give them a shot as my Muskie holders are not going to cut it.
> 
> I'm rocking an old school Minnkota Power Drive so tonight I'm going to order a new Power Drive with spot lock and auto track, etc. (This was not an upgrade just for crappie fishing of course.)
> 
> I have made some bad decisions though. I bought some baits in the wrong sizes that I'm going to be throwing up on the marketplace soon.


Geez, your getting serious!


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## captainshotgun

I never tried them in Ohio, but in mi and florida I caught several on fly rod sized flatfish and Brooks Reefers. Brooks has been out of business for 50 yrs or so, but maybe u could find some at flea mkts or tackle shows


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## H2O Mellon

Howdy guys! Hey, I figured I'd give an update. We've done the trolling for crappie thing twice now. The first time out was only a couple hours and I think I was being way too serious. I about gave up due to lone trouble, trying to get lures to th exact depth, etc. Once I chilled out and said "Screw it" and just mad a long cast from the boat, put the rods in the holder and trolled between .8 and 1 MPH we caught fish. It's been a blast. Size 4 and 5 Flicker Shads with some kind of purple were the ticket last weekend at Caesars Creek. Second place were jigs getting the big skunk were 200/300 Bandits. A small (I believe) Bomber shad crank did well too in 10-15 feet of water. Was hoping to go somewhere to do it again tomorrow but looks like the ramps @ Caesars are flooded. I've got CJ Brown, Indian, St Marys, East Fork and more all within an hour or two but know next to nothing about those lakes. If anybody sees this tonight, where are you going tomorrow, or are you smart and avoiding the crowds?


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## ristorap

H2O Glad to hear that you are enjoying the trolling. Don't give up on crank baits that did not work so far. One day some cranks work and the next day they don't and the others will. The Bandit 100 is good. Play with colors the fish can get picky .


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## acklac7

Glad to see you're still around these parts my friend, haven't seen you in a few.


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## All Eyes

Nice to see you back on Mellon. It's been a while. I'm far from a crappie trolling expert, but if I had to pick one bait it would be the little Cotton Cordell Big-O's. By little I mean the smaller sub 2" ones. Just long lining them straight off the back is my go to when kids are on the boat and have little patience. Good multi species bait but they really do well on crappie.


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## firemanmike2127

I'm right there with All Eyes. The 2" Cordell Big O's are a great little multi-species bait. I like throwing small cranks on my UL Avid & considert tiny Big O's a staple in my box. Mike


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## crappiedude

H2O Mellon said:


> Was hoping to go somewhere to do it again tomorrow but looks like the ramps @ Caesars are flooded. I've got CJ Brown, Indian, St Marys, *East Fork *and more all within an hour or two but know next to nothing about those lakes.


East fork is still way too high. I was there last night and only one ramp is open. It's supposed to be a 2 lane ramp but most people can't drive so they use it for single use by launching right in the middle. It's a small parking lot too so it fills up fast. 
Water color on the lower end of the lake is better than the upper end.
The only good thing is with such limited access the lake was really quiet last night. More ramps should open in a couple of more days.


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## H2O Mellon

Hey fellas. I hope everyone is doing well. I've been on the disabled list for the entire month. Came down with osteonyelitis and had to have a toe and small part of my foot amputated. I've been going nuts at home. Before this we were having luck in 10-15 foot of water with the crappie 7-10 feet down. The last time out 200 series Bandits were the key. Boy, this kind of fishing is fun. We've caught largemouth, white bass, channel cats, bluegill and of course crappie. The largest crappie was just shy of 13 inches- all thrown back for others to enjoy catching or eating. I'm hoping to be released enough to where I can at least be in the boat sitting down in a couple weeks (just after the 4th of July). It's going to be tough to go back to muskie fishing but I'm going to give that a shot while mixing in some more crappie trolling. I'm assuming when the fall rolls around the same techniques work but the fish will be suspended in deeper water, right? I figure we'll be targeting 25 foot of water with fish around 15 feet in Sept/Oct. Should that get me into the ball park?


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## H2O Mellon

The older we get the more like our parent we become
There’s a funny series of television commercials on now that claim the older we get the more like our parents we become. Boy that hit me in a funny way yesterday while at Cabelas. Back 25-30 years ago my dad swore the best fishing lure in earth was a Johnson Beetle Spin. I of course thought he was crazy as those things have been a round for we are are just a jig and spinner. Well, last year before my health issues I was crappie fishing much more frequently than muskie fishing. I found out those Johnson Beetle Spins can be fish catchers if they crappie aren’t interested in cranks. Yesterday while picking up some of these lures along with some spinners to make my own it was like my dad spoke out “Told you so”. It was funny because I smiled and maybe even laughed. The people in the isle may have thought I was crazy. Over the last decade I’ve spent tons and I mean tons of money in muskie lures. I refused to pay over $100 for a single lure but I know I’ve paid $65 each for some. So here I am spending 99 cents on lures that I know catch fish after 25-30 years of making fun of my dad for swearing by the same
Lures. Funny stuff.

I figured this was appropriate to post within the thread I created this thread last year.


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## Lewzer

Beetle spins are are search and destroy crappie lures. On new lakes I will troll with them. Once the crappie are caught I mark the spot and turn around and anchor and throughly fish that area. Found many crappie structures that way and use those spots regularly.


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