When probing vertically down into brushpiles and submerged timber, try slowly drifting or control drifting with the trolling motor over the top with a 1/32- to 1/16-ounce jig and the smallest versions of the Stanley Wedge Tail or Northland Mimic Minnow bodies, before probing deeper into the wood with livebait. Highly active crappies do not require livebait -- and it's another way to stay efficient. Constantly baiting up during a hot bite can be a waste of precious time. At other times, livebait is the only way to go.
VERTICAL PRESENTATIONS
Cold fronts and big wind seem to make crappies less active. They push far back into fallen trees, hover near the trunk of submerged trees, or bury themselves in brushpiles. This often calls for hovering livebait presentations in their faces for extended periods of time, though we've found that plastics work better than livebait, at times.
In clear lakes with shallow brush and trees, small floats presented on long poles tend to work best. A long pole extended back into the branches where the bait can simply be dropped on the key spot is much more efficient than casting or pitching. And with the tip of the pole hovering right above the float, the presentation can be strictly controlled even in fairly heavy wind.
Poles, today, are available from Bass Pro Shops, B'n'M, Cabela's, Shakespeare, Zebco, and several others. Models from 10 to 20 feet long are available, and lengths should be chosen based on the extent and type of cover, as well as on the clarity of the water and how spooky the fish are. For spooky crappies in clear water, a 16- to 20-foot pole may actually catch more fish than a shorter one. Telescopic and multipiece models tend to fit into the hold of the boat better than the old single-piece bamboo rods, but a long piece of bamboo is relatively inexpensive and efficient for anglers walking the bank. Poles also take baits well away from the boat when spider-rigging in open water for suspended crappies in spring.
The technique used with an extended pole is called dipping, dabbling, or doodle-socking, depending on which portion of the country you hail from. The simplest poles, such as the relatively primitive bamboo models, have a ring at the tip where a prescribed length of mono or Dacron is attached. Most modern poles have reel seats and a full complement of guides. In less-dense wood cover, use a “fixed” float attached to the line with small rubber sleeves that slide on the line for quick depth adjustments. In heavy tangles of brush, use a slipfloat, one split shot, an Aberdeen hook, and a minnow, which creates a smaller package when drawn tight to the tip of the pole. The Aberdeen straightens easily when snagged, and the slipfloat can be quickly adjusted for depth and more efficiently extended into the cover.
A flyrod or an 8- to 9-foot or light-action spinning rod sometimes makes a better tool for fishing vertically around wood, especially in stained or cloudy water. “Some of the reservoirs of Arkansas are like that,” Stange says. “Millwood, for instance, is a stained, shallow reservoir where a little wind quickly churns the water and limits visibility. That limits your presentation options. By late March into early and mid-April, when conditions are right the fish push up onto flats and hold near old cypress stumps and trees.
