| FISHING IN CRAPPIE TOURNAMENTS |
|
|
|
| Written by Bruce Spangler | |
| Sunday, 02 March 2008 | |
|
FISHING IN CRAPPIE TOURNAMENTS Crappie Tournament fishing is a very competitive sport in a multi-billion dollar industry where more and more anglers every day are joining the ranks of the Tournament competitors. With all these new competitors as well as the already established ones, the competition seems to be getting tougher and tougher thus making it harder to stay on top, or consistently in the money. There are several different reasons for some teams who consistently "Place in the money" fishing Crappie Tournaments. I hope that I can help you with some "insight" on what keeps some of these teams successful, and some tips to give you the edge you need to succeed in crappie tournaments.  The most important step to help you succeed in tournaments is "Tournament Preparation". This means to learn everything you can about crappie and their behavior, studying lake maps for "hot-spots", finding out what the main food forage is, what the hot color patterns are, etc... 1. UNDERSTANDING CRAPPIE By understanding what crappie does during different situations or conditions (Water Clarity & Temperature, Natural Food Forage, Weather Fronts, Colors, Water Depths, Seasons, Pressure Changes, Structures, etc...) and combining 3 key elements (FOOD, OXYGEN, & COVER) should help you begin the preparation of putting a "Game-Plan" together for the "Pre-Fishing" period and for tournament day. The more time you spend on the water and doing your homework by studying what the crappie does in different conditions, the easier your game-plan comes together before the tournament starts. 2. LEARN ALL ABOUT THE LAKE This can be done properly by first obtaining a topo map of the lake that you will be fishing. You can obtain these maps from the area's Tourism Bureau, Army Corps of Engineers, or on the internet. By understanding how to read a map related to crappie fishing, you can just about "Pre-Fish" that body of water just by knowing where the Channels, Drops, Humps, Shallows, Flats, Depth, Points, Structures, and other structures are. Combine that information along with the understanding of the conditions mentioned above will help you to eliminate at least 2/3 of water, and key on the areas that would relate to crappie to greatly increase your chances of catching your limit. Watch your fishfinders very closely for structures and baitfish activity. IMPORTANT: READ ALL TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS before preparing for that tournament. We also found some great fishing spots just by observing the local fishermen. While you are on the water pre-fishing and see a boat sitting in one spot for a while, just move off in a distance and watch. Remember, some of these locals have fished these waters all their life and are not sitting in areas just to eat lunch! Also, while you're fishing and a local fisherman comes along on a dock or boat, it never hurt to ask him or her for information. Most won't tell you where they are, so just simply ask how deep they are catching them, whats the main species in that lake (black or white crappie) and how big do they get in that lake. At lakes where the larger species is black crappie, don't expect to win by catching white crappie & you'll also have an idea what the normal size crappie is in that lake and go for bigger ones. 3. FIND OUT WHAT COLOR & BAIT PATTERNS FOR THAT LAKE Probably one of the best ways to learn the color and bait patterns of any given body of water would be to visit as many "Bait & Tackle" retailers in the area as possible. Ask the retailer what's the best bait and colors now. Most of them will be happy to give you the reports in hopes of you buying some lures and baits there. While there, also look and see what baits and colors are being sold the most off the shelves. If you visit several of these retailers you should be able to get a very good idea of what colors and baits to use pre-fishing based on the averages of all these different places combined. 4. STICK WITH YOUR GAME PLAN Putting a game plan together for a tournament can make or break most of the teams in the field. The biggest problem of most teams when tournament fishing is not sticking to a game plan. After you gathered all the information from the items I mentioned above, find out what the weather conditions will be on "Tournament Day". Then sit down and plan accordingly. Also when making your game plan, select an area where you won’t have to run miles and miles to secondary spots. Try to keep at least 3 or 4 alternate spots within a few minutes of each other. As I mentioned before, try to eliminate 2/3 of water and stick to areas where your chances of catching crappie is located. REMEMBER: STICK WITH YOUR GAME PLAN. If you are in an area where you caught fish before with no luck, why leave? Give a spot some time. The biggest part of pre-fishing is locating fish right? So don’t just give a spot a few minutes then leave. You'll just waste more time moving and less time fishing. We’ve sat on certain spots for a couple of hours without as much as a bite, then all of a sudden they turn on and we’ve caught limits just by waiting them out. Sometimes by changing colors, bait, or technique does the trick. Alot of times we move to the next cover several feet away and find a school, so if and when you do leave, don't go far. Most times, we come back to that first spot a few hours later and catch some of our best fish. Use every minute wisely. Keep in mind, you only need to catch 7-8 fish in 8 hours. Catch your limit, then go for the bigger ones. 5. PREPARING & ORGANIZING YOUR BOAT Nothing is more frustrating than having boat problems during pre-fishing or tournament. This can ruin your game plan and miss the weigh-in. Everyone is going to experience problems on the water, it's guaranteed. But don't ever skip this step; check and repair any possible problems so you're not beat before you even get to the lake. Doing preventive maintenance and checks will greatly decrease your chances of encountering problems on the water. Keeping your boat organized will help you and your partner fish more effectively, safely, and less hassel. Set up your boat to however you're going to fish. For example: If you're going to slow-troll for crappie, set up for you and your partner to fish effectively from the front of the boat. Locate a place where you can grab the net quickly. Put tackle boxes, pliers, drinks, etc... in areas where you can easily find and to not trip over them. When one gets a bite, the other grabs the net and haul it in. Then the guy with the net puts the fish in the livewell while the other re-baits his hook and watch the other poles. Simple as that. 6. BUILD YOUR OWN SECRET HOTSPOTS The secret of placing their own man-made cover is how most teams consistently finish "in-the-money" at certain lakes every year. Not only does it help give crappie more cover to hide in, but helps the team cut preparation time in half. Sinking cover is no picnic, but the rewards are definitely worth the effort. Placing cover in areas with few scattered cover or none at all and at several depths will help you locate and catch crappie no matter what the weather. For example, placing shallow cover (up to 10 feet) is good for spring and fall, brushpiles in deeper water (20-30 feet or more) is productive in the summer and winter, and brush in mid-depth water (10-20 feet) will produce any time of the year. Areas to consider are: Large flats with little or no cover, top of small humps, inside and outside bends in deep main channels, along dropoffs, intersections of main and creek channels, along mouths of bays and coves, and shallow flats close to deep water. Also consider the elements when placing the cover such as wind, sun, & currents. Place cover in several areas to ensure that you have a windbreak in every direction to help with boat control & keeping baits in front of fish. Whether you're fishing in a tournament or not, preparing your game plan and sticking to it will give you amazing results on the water! |
|
| Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 April 2008 ) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
