Bobby Day Wilson and his son Adam with some monster Black Crappie caught on Slip Bobber rigs.
Where did all those Crappie go? In January when water levels recede and surface water temperatures drop, crappie will vacate your favorite brush piles and suspend in open water. Locating crappie when this happens is not overly difficult if you know where to look and you can increase the odds in your favor of catching them if you employ the right methods. Using High Definition Sonar is an excellent way of locating crappie and using Slip Bobber rigs can be a pretty effective way of catching them. The following is a seasonal guide and suggestions on how to use slip bobbers with some ideas on terminal tackle and rods & reels.
What is a Slip Bobber Anyway? Many fishermen love to fish for Crappie but are unsure of what a slip bobber is or how to rig it. A slip bobber consists of a straw-like tube that is surrounded by a float. The float is generally a fluorescent color. The line is inserted thru the tube allowing the bobber to slide freely up and down the line. A slip bobber will not work properly if there is not a method to hold it at a certain spot on the line; therefore a bobber stop is needed. The bobber stop consists of a round bead that goes above the float and a stop knot (a line tie) which is positioned above the bead. Both are threaded onto the fishing line. The bead keeps the stop knot from going into the float tube and the stop knot is used to adjust the depth of the bait or lure. To adjust the depth you want to fish you simply move the stop knot up or down the line. The bead and stop knot are generally purchased separately from the slip bobbers themselves and you’ll need both to make the thing work. Putting the finishing touch to this rig is a real simple task; add a crappie hook, minnow and a split shot or your favorite crappie jig and you’re in business. Here’s a diagram of how to attach the stop knot.
1. Thread your line through the plastic tube that holds the stop knot. Give yourself at least a couple of feet of free line.
2. Slide the stop knot off the tube and onto your line. Make sure you slide it off the end of the tube toward your rod tip. Slide the tube off your line and discard it.
3. Slowly and steadily pull both tag ends of the stop knot to tighten it down. When you think it's tight enough, test it. You should be able to slide it under medium (not light) pressure.
4. Clip the tag ends of to 1/16 inch. The final product should look something like this.
Diagram courtesy of ESB slip bobbers.
Why Use a Slip Bobber? Many people that switch to slip bobbers find that it is considerably easier to use them instead of clip bobbers plus slip bobbers work in a lot of fishing situations that clip bobbers won’t. Crappie in particular like to suspend in and around cover and often feed at a particular depth. A slip bobber allows you to adjust your bait to the fish whether they’re suspending in 20 feet of water or 5 feet over brush. Slip bobber rigs are easy to cast and they work well on shy fish too. By reeling the line all the way up you can back off and make a long cast thus keeping a safe distance and avoid spooking wary fish. Casting around boat docks, fishing deep submerged cover or near the bottom of deep drop offs, slip bobbers work well in just about any condition.
Catching Crappie on slip bobbers is a blast too! I’ve found that my clients like to feel the fight of the fish while reeling it in and fishing a slip bobber rig allows them to do just that. Using this rig is an easy way to fish for Crappie and with very little practice the beginner can soon catch fish like a seasoned veteran. The bottom line is it’s just a real productive and fun way to fish.
Rods & Reels and such. Most likely your favorite rod and reel will work as long as it’s an ultra light or medium light outfit. Remember we’re fishing for crappie with paper thin mouths with the majority of fish weighing around a pound or a pound in a half. Unless you’re fishing deeper than 10 feet or so your live bait weights or crappie jigs will be on the light side. For this type of fishing a 6’ Shimano Clarus CSS60LB rod paired with a Sedona 1000 series reel is a quality combo and it’s easy on the wallet too!. These outfits cast like a dream, play a fish out nicely and folks absolutely love them, plus the warranty is second to none. We use 6 or 8 lb clear P-Line mono. A # 4 light wire crappie hook and #3, #4 & #5 split shot works real well for minnow fishing and a 1/16, 3/32 or 1/8 oz weight on the crappie jigs will suffice for most applications.
A couple of do’s and don’ts … if your float immediately sinks and you DON”T have a fish on you’re using too much weight. Also if you get several strikes while you bait is sinking, shallow up as the fish are suspended above the depth that you have your rig set. Remember, when you cast, let your line remain slack until the bobber floats straight up. That way you won’t pull the bait away from the spot.
Everlasting Slip Bobbers … not just your ordinary slip bobber! Eight months ago I was given four of these by a client of mine from Michigan and I’ve been using them ever since. Time on the water is precious to my clients. Having the best rods & reels and terminal tackle extends our fishing time. With ESB, it’s the little things and attention to detail that makes it such an outstanding product. ESB bobbers have several advantages that will help you catch more fish and keep rigging time to a minimum. As an example every ESB bobber comes with a highly polished glass bead that is molded into the top of the tube. No more loose beads to deal with! The high polished bead won’t cut fishing line and reduced line friction allows the line to flow smoothly increasing casting distance and accuracy, plus the bait gets to the fish much faster than an ordinary slip float. The bottom end of the tube is protected by a brass guard so the tube itself won’t become worn and fray your line. The tube is made of a clear synthetic material that won’t swell, split or rot plus you can see your line coming thru the tube when you’re rigging up. The bobbers come in assorted sizes for bluegill to big catfish and in an array colors, plus each bobber comes with a slip knot. What could be better! No more frayed lines and loose beads rolling around on the floor, they cast like a dream and everything you need to rig up comes in one neat little package. (ESB bobbers are available at the tackle shops around the Kentucky Lake area or you can order them online at http://www.hloutdoors.com )
Suspended Crappie … Catching suspended crappie when they’re schooled up in the bays can be very challenging, especially when they’re not relating to cover. In winter when the water’s cold, Crappie like to suspend in open water and along ledges and drops. Since their metabolism is slower, they become lethargic and don’t feed as often. To catch crappie under these circumstances the first step is finding the school. Once you have done this, the next step is to determine at what depth the fish are holding. A good way to achieve this is to use your Lowrance High Definition Sonar system in split screen mode (Photo) with the electronic topo map on the left side and StructureScan on the right. Look for contour changes on the map like bends in creek channels, the ends of underwater points and ledges and pay special attention to the mouth of the bays where any of these areas meet the old river channel. Any of these spots can be major congregating areas. Once a school is located, toss out a marker.
Presentations vary. Wind and lack thereof will have a bearing on your presentation and calm days are the most challenging. On clear and calm days crappie are easily spooked. Slow Rolling a slip bobber and a minnow is one of the better ways to catch suspended fish. Slow Rolling is backing off and casting to the location of the school and very slowly reeling the rig in. Crappies are notorious for feeding at various depths, for that reason multiple lines with slip bobbers are employed and set at a range of depths in the school. To find the more aggressive fish a rig is set so the bait is positioned slightly above the school, another in the middle and one near the base of the school. When it’s calm crappie like a little movement but not too much so experiment with your retrieve until you figure out what they want. Many times just a slight movement of the bobber is all they need. Make sure to use fresh, lively bait and a small to medium size minnow seems to work best under these conditions. Wind is good thing. Wind usually has a positive effect. When the wind starts to blow and the water stirs so do the Crappie. The waves on the water break up the sun-rays and disperse the light; also waves add a natural action to the bait. On windy days position the boat downwind from the marker and cast the rig so the bait floats thru the school. Start by adjusting the rig slightly deeper to compensate for the waves and adjust as you go. Controlling the boat and the ability to fish an area efficiently is the key to consistently catching fish when they’re suspended, be sure you don’t position the boat over the school. When crappie are suspended your electronics play a real important part in locating and showing you how deep to fish, so pay special attention to what they are telling you.
Crappie Hide & Go Seek. Fishing the weeks leading up to the spawn can be some of the most exciting times to fish but sometimes crappie can be hard to figure out during this period. Here on Kentucky Lake and I bet it’s the same on your home lake, the best pre-spawn fishing occurs toward the end of warm spells or right before a cold front hits. This is a good time to be out on the lake and most everyone can catch fish. When the cold front arrives crappie back out to deeper water, usually to the first drop where cover is present. It’s times like this that slip bobber fishing really shines. This is an excellent time to suspend a minnow or jig right above the cover as the fish will still feed aggressively. After the front passes and the sunny, calm and bluebird skies arrive, greater light penetration sends crappie yet deeper where they’ll literally cling to or suspend right above the cover (Sonar Screen Photo). Again, this is a good time to suspend a minnow slightly above and close to the cover. However, don’t expect an aggressive strike. The strike is usually very soft as the fish gently inhales the bait. The bobber will gently move, tilt to one side or slowly disappear. When this happens don’t jerk, just start reeling.
Shallow is good. Slip bobbers work well when crappie head to the shallows to prepare for the spawn and during the spawn itself. On some days when the bite is aggressive crappie can be caught casting almost anything and without the use of a bobber. However, there are times when a very slow presentation is required even when the fish are shallow. One technique in particular that works well, is casting slip bobbers rigged with a 1/16 oz or 3/32 oz lead head and a curly tail. Kentucky Green or Blue Pearl 2 ½ inch curly tails are right at the top color-wise and Slow Rolling or using a stop and go retrieve works. Don’t discount the use of a minnow either; some of our biggest fish have come on live bait. Typically, when my clients and are fishing some of us will use a curly tail and others a minnow, until we figure out which is the better offering. Many a good day of crappie fishing has been had using these methods.
Post Spawn. Usually water clarity is at its peak during and immediately following the spawn allowing crappie greater visibility and increasing their strike zone. Clearer water can bring out a crappie’s finicky side. The first drop located adjacent to spawning grounds is usually the first place to load up with crappie. The blacks spawn first followed by the whites and as a rule the blacks will stay shallower a little longer than the whites. Slip bobbers really come in to their own at this time. Artificial baits catch their share but during this period it’s hard to beat a minnow. Fished on a slip bobber, a minnow dangling in front of a crappie’s snout, can be pure torment and prove to be irresistible. The same types of cover that held fish during the pre-spawn will hold crappie so remember to check out those spots.
Trolling for Summer time Crappie. Even with the surface temps hovering 90 degrees crappie can be caught by keying on offshore humps and ledges. Here on Kentucky Lake the more productive areas seem to be at least 15 feet on top and near the old river channel. You can locate these hot spots by using your electronics. Current plays a most important role this time of year and dictates the mood and location of the fish. Crappie will congregate on top of the hump or ledge (Photo) when current is being generated and then drop to the deeper sides when the flow subsides. This is an opportune time to troll a slip bobber rig. The warmer water has the crappie’s metabolism in high gear and they’ll feed aggressively and feed for longer periods. Idle over the spot where the crappie are holding and mark it with buoys. Set the depth on the slip bobber rigs at various levels and let out about 30-40 feet of line. With your favorite crappie jig on and drag over the spot with your trolling motor, that’s right your trolling motor! Your big motor will most likely spook the fish; a stealthy approach is the best approach. As your rig trolls across the hump or ledge watch your bobber closely. Crappie suspended in hot water can be slow to bite at times so you might have to adjust the direction of your troll to get bit. Once you get dialed in usually you can catch a mess, for the most part crappie at this time of year are unmolested.
Catching Crappie on a slip bobber rig is a fun and an easy way to fish. Slip bobbers will work in a lot of fishing situations and with a little practice the beginner can soon catch fish like a seasoned veteran. Give it a try!
If you want to book a fishing trip with Kick’n Bass Guide Service or learn to better use your HDS System by scheduling an “on the Water” Sonar Class send Randy Kuhens an email at: [email protected]
Boat Show Schedule: Visit with us at the following boat shows … Murray, KY Jan. 20-22, Louisville, KY Jan. 27-29 and Paducah, KY Feb. 17-19.
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