SMALL MOVES CAN BE BIG MOVES

Ever have one of those OMG moments, when the fish you just pulled out of the hole is one of the biggest you have ever seen? That is how this season is going for me and I couldn’t be happier. I have caught more 14-inch crappies this year than I have in the last 5 years combined. Success has to do with fishing waters that hold big fish, but also coaxing those bigger smarter fish out of hiding.

One lake I fish has thick weed cover. There is Eurasian watermilfoil, coontail, pondweed, and one deep 22-foot hole. The water is clear and there are even tall weeds in the deeper water. You can catch crappies and big gills out of the same hole, but it seems as if there are only a small number of fish per patch of weeds.

Unlike some lakes where crappies roam in packs, I am finding that the crappies on this lake congregate in much smaller groups. Hiding out in small groups

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in thick weeds makes the hunt a little more challenging. Search baits such as small Tikka Minos and spoons that flutter way off to the side are nearly impossible to fish.

I usually start drilling holes in the 8-to-10-foot contours and work my way out to deeper water. One day the fish will be in the 8-to-12foot range and then next out in the deeper weeds and the next back in the shallow water areas. I don’t know if the fish are moving back and forth, or if I am finding new fish. I do know that finding weed patches that have not been fished yet, yields the biggest fish. On a recent trip, I looked for a spot that had snow cover that had no signs of tracks on it and started in that area. Boom, big crappie.

One key is to be able to decipher the Vexilar, as the screen fills with clutter with the thick vegetation. I put my FLX -28 on low power mode to eliminate

much of the marks that are weeds. My jig of choice is a Clam Drop Kick jig tipped with a Maki plastic. I start jigging right on the very top of the weeds and see if I can detect any movement from below. The tall, top-heavy weeds seem to move, which causes some fluttering in the lines of the flasher which can be confusing to new anglers. There are usually some open spaces between the lines on the Vexilar, and I will work my way down in the water column to fish right above each opening. When I see any upward movement from below me, I know it’s a fish.

It’s situations like these, that are perfect for an underwater camera. Dropping the camera down the hole will give you an idea of the condition of the weeds, and the fish that are hanging out in between them. Oftentimes, I have found the weeds so thick right under the hole, the bait is hard for the fish to locate. This is a great time to make a small move. Landing on top of a small opening or pocket within the weeds can really make a difference. I have had situations where I have fished a hole for some time and never had a bite, then drilled 5-feet away and it’s bite-after-bite.

Here are a few other tips to help you find success: • I prefer plastics when I am in ‘search’’ mode, because you don’t need to re-bait in between holes. The Maki plastic stays soft and pliable and the scent keeps the fish interested.

• It’s important to use a light enough rod so the rod is “loaded” with the weight of your jig. The Nitinol Spring Bobber is a great addition to a rod that you can’t detect a bite on. If the rod tip is “loaded” any upward motion of the tip is a bite, so set the hook. As Dave Genz says, “feel the jig”, and if you don’t feel it, set the hook. I love the metered Frost Ice Line and I prefer the three-pound test in the color orange. Any movement in the line is also time to give a hook set.

• If you have trouble seeing your jig with all the clutter on the screen, it’s a good time to go up a size. The Duck Bill jig is somewhat wider and has a larger profile, making it easier to stand out. The fish love that horizontal presentation. Adding a Maki such as the Jamie XL gives the bait a bigger profile.

• If you find the weeds are dark and lifeless, move to another area and concentrate on weeds that still have some bright green color to them. Coaxing finicky fish out of thick weed cover can be a lot of fun. Usually every outing, a big mark appears out of nowhere and a fun pike fight breaks out. Nothing like a screaming drag in an ultralight rod!

• Find spots that have not been fished hard. Resist the urge to set up over preexisting holes, thinking the anglers before you were on to something.

• Resist the urge to fish memories. The biggest fish I have caught so far this year were on new spots that I had not fished before.

• Remember to practice selective harvesting of these big panfish. Removing the best reproducing fish can really do damage to the population.

I wish you the best of luck this season, and remember, sometimes small moves are big moves.

It’s situations like these, that are perfect for an underwater camera.