CATCH YOUR PB

HOW TO CATCH YOUR PB CRAPPIE THIS SEASON

by Jeff “Jiggy” Andersen ONE OF MY FAVORITE FISH

to chase throughout the winter months is no doubt giant crappies. The most addicting part is getting the rod, reel, line, lure and trigger combination correct and when you do that’s when the magic is made.

In this article, I will break down some of my favorite presentations, combinations and locations for you to consider this winter.

LOCATION STRATEGY

Lets chat a little location strategy first. If your goal is to catch a super giant crappie there are a few things I would consider. First you have to fish where they live. Sounds so simple yet it’s so easy to get stuck on the “hot bite” on your local lake but chances are that spot has been hammered. When thinking big crappies my mind goes to either a backwoods offbeat lake or a huge body of water like my home lake Leech Lake in Northern Minnesota. The challenge with the offbeat backwoods lake is this will require some homework and failures. I can’t tell you how many times I think I have found that secret gem and to find out it wasn’t worth my effort. BUT, for every lake failed I’m one step closer to finding that one.

The challenge with the large body of water is it’s intimidating. There is so much water and so much structure to breakdown. My best advice is to break it down into sections. Look at a map and draw out sections. Stay focused in your search.

When you do this you will be surprised at how fast you can break down a lake. Furthermore you will start to unlock the code, which will make things much less intimidating. My biggest crappies come from huge bodies of water.

PRESENTATION OPTIONS

Here are my three top presentations for really big crappies.

The Spoon – I believe spoons are the must underutilized lure for big crappies. To this day some of my largest crappies have been caught with a spoon. The trick is to go a bit more aggressive than fishing with a smaller tungsten jig. If you’re fishing an active school I tend to work above

the marks avoiding the smaller fish but keeping them moving in the water column. Watching my graph with an eagle eye I look for larger marks. Once I see the fish I want to target I actively try and get that specific fish to engage. The goal here is to get the giant to move out from the pack. Then your job is to finish the deal.

My Go-To Spoon Combo: The 1/16th oz Clam Blade Spoon paired with a Maki Spiiki

Rod and Line Combo: 30” Legacy (Spinning Reel) with 4lb Frost Ice Monofilament

The Jig – Unlike the spoon a smaller tungsten jig is one that gets the most credit for being a crappie catcher and for good reason. I always carry a spoon combination and a tungsten jig combination with me while hole hoping. There are times throughout the season the smaller tungsten is the action the fish want. I believe it has to do steady small shakes from the rod tip that seals the deal. The great part about a tungsten is the variety of plastics you can pair with it. Spend a little time rigging up multiple combinations and practice with each. Take a bucket of water or aquarium and watch how each combination reacts to specific jig strokes. This is so important to learn what is the trigger factor when that fish shows up on your graph.

Maki Jamei and CPT Drop jig XL

My Go-To Tungsten Combo: Clam Drop Jig XL with a Maki Jamei

Rod and Line Combo: 26inch Legacy light action spring bobber (Spooler Reel) with 3lb Frost Ice Fluorocarbon. Note: I like the spooler reel to minimize line twist and the fluorocarbon as it has a bit less stretch. Great for detecting bites.

A Swim Bait: The lure that gets the very least amount of attention is a swim style bait that moves horizontal in the water column. This is a great search lure when out over the basin. As with the previous two presentations, there are times, this particular movement is what gets the job done. With a large jig stroke and a free fall the bait will swim left to right covering a large diameter. Once the fish shows I will shorten my jig stroke while moving the bait slow up in the water column but don’t stop shaking that rod. It’s that little movement in the lure that gets them to go!

My Go-To Swim Bait: 1/8oz Clam Tikki Mino with a Maki Polli rigged on the middle treble hook.

Rod and Line Combo: 32 inch Legacy medium light (Spinning Reel) with 6lb Frost Ice Fluorocarbon.

These presentations paired up with the correct rod, reel and line combination will make a huge difference for you this winter. n

YouTube: Jeff Andersen Fishing

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