Crappie Kingdom 15 Feb 2018

Crappie Kingdom

MAKE THE MOST OF IT

High pressure fronts, low pressure fronts, lows in the single digits one day, highs below freezing one day, highs in the 60’s the next day, winds out of the North 20 mph, winds out of the South 25-35, snow , ice, overcast skies, clear blue bird days, all of these together describe February this year. No wonder the fish don’t know when they are supposed to bite and the fisherman can’t be there at the right time to catch ‘em. It can also spell frustration when you know the fish should be doing one thing and they are totally doing the opposite. What can you do to eliminate the boredom of bad conditions and unpredictable patterns? Make the most of a bad situation!

This is the time to prepare for the coming consistencies that will occur in due time. We know that the weather will soon straighten up and the fishing pattern will develop into some type of predictable pattern. Take advantage of the down time to get things ready for spring. Boat maintenance can be high on the list. Take care of the little things that need repaired or replaced. Wholesale cleaning of the boat can also be on that list. For those of us that cannot afford a new boat every year, a little elbow grease and time can make that old watercraft look anew. Nothing like an old rig that shines in the sun.

Make up the jigs for the year. I have a work table that is set aside in my shop for melting lead and pouring my own jigs. I buy hooks by the thousands so I have plenty of work to do that helps pass the time. I try to not spend more than a couple hours at a time and keep my area well ventilated so as to not breathe too much lead at any given setting. There’s nothing more pretty than a full box of shiny new lead heads. I don’t paint them so that’s one less step I have to go through for the finished product. I pour up a lot of 1/16 oz. and 1/8 oz. jigs using number 2 and 4 jig hooks. I will do a couple hundred 1/32 oz. and a hundred or so ¼ oz. jigs as well. My hand poured jigs are a lot better than what I can buy in my estimation and don’t cost near as much. I make sure I have a good supply of roadrunner heads as well. They don’t have to be colored either.

I take this time to inventory the jig selection. It’s fairly simple since I use only a few select colors, with a few odd colors thrown in. I use primarily glow chartreuse, black and chartreuse, brown and chartreuse, green and chartreuse, red and chartreuse, shad color, a few blue colors, and a few tri-colored jig bodies. I also use a curly tailed grub that is a Bleeding shad or Tennessee shad color. Throw in a few swimmin’ minnows and if I can’t catch a fish on that selection, I might as well go home.

Clean up the reels and rods. If the reel turns smoothly, I wipe it down taking off all the dirt and fish slime. A clean reel works longer and better psychologically. I wipe down the rod as well and inspect the inside of the guides. Knicks or grooves can occur on the inside of those guides and if they are there, they need to be replaced or new rod needs to be purchased to replace the whole unit. New line needs to be spooled on the reels. I buy my line in bulk spools and go through it fairly quick. I use Maxima Ultra-Green 4# test line. It is the toughest 4# line I’ve found and almost invisible. I have tried a lot of different types but it is my go to line. I have some reels spooled with high- vis line and braided line. I use them in specific conditions depending upon the method of fishing I’m doing.

All of these chores that I have mentioned are essential for being a successful fisherman. You can’t expect to be proficient using equipment that does not perform. Nothing worse than trying to catch fish with reels that don’t reel, line that is rotten, running out of the right jigs and color of jig bodies, or wishing you would have fixed that leaking drain plug when you had the time. Make the best of the bad weather conditions and be ready to load the boat. Just make the best of it!