“I set a Styrofoam slip float above a pair of 1/8-ounce bullet sinkers and three clear plastic craft beads. Place the bullet sinkers so the pointed ends face up and down. Set your bobber stop to hold the bait off bottom and hook a 2- to 3-inch lively minnow on a #1 Eagle Claw 214 EL light wire hook. In some situations, I fish a leadhead with a minnow and no float, or a jighead with a Berkley Crappie Nibble.

“To fish, pull the jungle rig to the tip of the pole, as you'd do with a jig, ease the tip into the brushpile and the worm weights will pull the bait down where the minnow will do its work. If the hook hangs on a twig, pull 4 to 6 inches of line with your free hand, then let it drop. The weights will knock the minnow free. Let the rig sit and the clicking sounds of beads and weights, moved by an active minnow, draw fish to the bait. It's deadly for monster crappie. I keep a landing net on my belt and quickly dip fish up before they can tangle in the brush.”

In natural lakes where water is typically clearer, it often pays to slowly move with the trolling motor through stands of bulrushes or maidencane, searching for fish visually and dabbling into pockets. When you spot a group or get a couple bites, anchoring lets you carefully fish the area with a long pole. In reeds, an underhand swing propels the float and jig or minnow accurately and quietly into pockets among plant stalks. The noise and shadows from a moving boat sometimes spook fish in clear water.

Pole Cranking Crappies: In Mississippi River oxbows, anglers have taken to trolling multiple crankbaits rigged on poles to work basin areas for suspended slabs, a situation that begins when fish move off the banks after spawning and may last well into fall. “It's a technique for big fish,” Wally Marshall notes, “ as popular baits like the Bandit 300 and the Thunder Shad from Awesome Bait Company are around 2 1⁄2 inches long. Some folks do well with Tiny Traps as well.

“Trolling involves putting a big weight on the end of the line -- commonly 4 to 6 ounces. This keeps the baits straight down, so they don't tangle when you set out a dozen or more.

“Poles must be real stiff like the Tight Line Specials from Bass Pro Shops, rated for 3/4 to 6 ounces. Though stiff, they have a slow tip to detect bites with over 1/4 pound of weight on the line.

“About one foot above the weight, tie a 3-way swivel with a 3- to 4- foot leader to a medium-diving crankbait. This set-up functions like a downrigger. Check sonar for suspended fish and set the lures at that level or a bit higher. As you would when fishing tubes or other jigs, experiment with lure styles and colors to check for preferences.

“An option to this rigging is to use the same set-up but with two swivels about 18 inches apart above the weight, and a pair of live minnows. Lengthen the leaders in clear water and shorten them when it's murkier or where there may be occasional stumps or tree tops. Also, troll at a good clip in warmer conditions, slower as winter approaches. And shorten leaders to just a couple inches in cold water, so crappies don't have to chase the bait. Use your imagination and try other options. I know some guys who run 5 jigs above the weight.”

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