Depth Control

Whether the crappie are 18 inches deep or 18 feet deep and whether an angler is pitching jigs under floats or slow trolling with minnows, a common denominator among crappie experts and their preferred fishing strategies is that depth control is very important. Crappie commonly will hold at a particular level in the water column, and putting baits a foot or two too deep can be akin to not having the baits in the water at all. Many of the B'n'M pros use their crappie poles as "measuring sticks" when they put out lines. They know their poles are say 12 feet long. Therefore, a jig that hangs a foot past the end of the rod handle will drop to 13 feet if the the rod tip is right at water level. Another common ways to control depths is simply to add a float to each line, with set floats used for shallow water and slip corks used for deeper presentations. For mobile approaches, the speed of the boat, the angle of the line and even the size of the line also have to be taken into account. Numerous techniques are used to determine productive depths and to make sure baits are presented at those depth. More important than any specific technique is an awareness that depth really does make a big difference and a willingness to adapt when crappie aren't making the corks go down or bending rod tips!