Crappie Kingdom
THE VERTICAL JIG: DEADLY TECHNIQUE
Last month I covered a technique of pitching and drifting for crappie. It is a sure fire way to catch crappies that are suspended but if the crappie are down in the brush, they can be hard to catch with that method. Perfecting the vertical jigging technique will double your opportunities to put fish in the “box”. Vertical jigging is a simple method but has some definite twists that will help you overcome being constantly hung up in the brush and increase your ability to catch fish.
Many folks do not like to fish brush piles because they are hung up all the time and always having to tie on another jig. These are the folks that fall in the category of the 90% that don’t catch fish. You got to go where the fish are to catch them.
The first item of concern is the electronics. Good electronics are invaluable for locating where the fish are in reference to the brush pile or cover. The “graph” locates the cover. Once it has been located, you use it to pinpoint where the fish are located within the confines of the cover. The fish may be on the outside edge, in the middle, on the bottom, suspended above, on the windward side, or on the backside of the cover. Being able to read the graph takes practice but will take the guess work out of locating fish. I recommend the Hummingbird unit due to its user friendliness and available service for the units if necessary. Almost all electronics today have more features than you will possibly use so don’t worry about any more than what you will actually use. The best advice I can give you about using electronics is once the unit is adjusted the way you want it, don’t mess with it. Become familiar with the features your unit has and use the ones that have a purpose for the type of fishing you are doing and don’t worry about the rest. The one thing for sure is they are invaluable for saving time and finding fish.
Boat control is the next part of successful vertical jigging. With a buoy, mark the cover structure you are going to fish and position the boat into the wind. I prefer the foot control trolling motor over the hand control and the spot lock I pilot models. The manual foot control give me a more immediate response and allows “me” to control the position of the boat. The boat maintains its position by the user tapping the trolling motor switch and moving the boat slowly into position and keeping it on a certain spot. “Playing the wind” helps keep the boat positioned where you need to be over the structure. Once you master the boat control, it is important to strategically move the boat around and over the structure and fish it entirely. In order to properly vertical jig and prevent hang ups, it is best to hold the boat stationary which allows you to slowly retrieve the jig perfectly perpendicular to the structure. Boat control is not learned over night and requires practice. It is necessary to be able to hold the boat strategically even in brisk winds. Once control is mastered, it becomes second nature but is always a challenge with changing weather conditions.
The vertical jigging of the bait is the easy part. Once the cover has been located, fish pinpointed, and boat control established, simple release the jig into the water and allow it to fall to the depth where the fish are located. I allow it to drop well below the fish and slowly retrieve it up through the fish. It is imperative that you watch the line for the slightest quiver, stoppage, or flick of any kind. Many times the crappie will only touch the bait and you will never feel the bite but you can see it. Once the bait is in the cover and you begin the retrieve, watch for the bite and be ready to set the hook if you see it or feel it. Often times, the bite you feel will only be a light “tick” but it can be aggressive as well. Be aware of the rod response to brush as well. If the jig is about to become hung in the brush, the rod tip will begin to bend downward. This reaction is not consistent with what the bit is. Do not jerk in this situation. Let out a couple feet of line allowing the jig to fall back down and gently jig the bait up and over the brush. If the bait gets hung up in the brush, don’t aggressively pull on the line but let out about three feet of line and flip the rod to “jig” the bait off the limb. As soon as it clears be ready for the bite. More times than not the movement of the jig while unhanging it attracts fish and the will bite it as soon as it clears. SLOW retrieve is an important key to working this technique. Not only does the slow retrieve entice the bite but it also allows you to recognize what is a bite and what is brush. Be patient and the dividends will be multiplied. Practice and patience will allow you to master this method. Once you learn the basics, you will continue to improve each time you go to the lake. I’ve been using this technique for 30 years and have caught literally thousands of crappie using it, so I know it works. Oh by the way, you will lose jigs but don’t sweat it, just tie on another and keep jigging. I will cover the type of equipment necessary to perfect the vertical jig and pitch and drift techniques in a later issue. Good luck and good fishing!
