Crappie Kingdom
SPOONING FOR CRAPPIE
This past month has been slow for sure but lake conditions are beginning to improve as well as catching fish. The good side of poor lake and fishing conditions is that it forces a fisherman to try new things and experience techniques outside the box. I am a diehard jig fisherman and more or less live by this technique. That probably is a mistake on my part but it is what it is. Although spoon fishing for crappie is not a new method, it is relatively new for me.
A few years back, I watched some guys catching crappies off a dock using spoons. I found it interesting that the crappies would hit that spoon much better than a jig. I thought that it might just be the day or the time of year that the crappie preferred the spoon over the jig. Not so! Not being a shy person, I asked some questions as well as watched and observed the procedure these guys were using while fishing the spoons. I had fished spoons for Bass in years past but really couldn’t force myself to use them on crappie. The method for spooning bass is a little different, so I thought, but have since found that some of the same technique for bass will work with crappie too. After all, the spoon is fished to represent shad movement or perhaps a dying shad movement.
The spoon used for crappie is somewhat smaller than those used for bass but I’m not totally convinced that larger spoons wouldn’t work in deep water fished in shad schools. I have not tried the larger spoons but more than likely will in the future. The 1/12th, 1/16th, and 1/8th oz. spoons are the preferable size used for crappies. Kastmaster(SP), Little Cleo, and Pepper spoons are some brand names that work very well for crappie. The neat thing about fishing spoons is they fall fast and reach deep depths without having to wait forever to get there. A 1/16 oz. jig takes forever to fall 40 ft. The spoon seems to travel at warp speed and gives you more time fishing the proper depth and not so much waiting fall time. It also has a tendency to keep the line more taught and allows one to see and feel the bite better than a jig. They work well in shallow depths if the fish are suspended or in deeper water if the fish are deep in shad schools. Since I’m an advocate of using crappie nibbles, I have used them on spoons but can honestly say I have not determined there is any advantage to using nibbles with spoons. It doesn’t hurt but can’t say it helps.
The method of using the spoon for crappies can vary. I like a very slow and I repeat “very slow” retrieve upward without stopping the retrieve. Same method as retrieving a jig. The bite can be very subtle or can be very aggressive depending on the fish’s mood. The key to exciting the bite is to find where the fish are located in the water column. Start by dropping all the way to the bottom and retrieve upward. Keep track of the “cranks” off the bottom to determine the depth. Once a consistent depth is determined, fish just below that depth and up through the desired depth. If the bite slows at the specific depth, drop deeper and relocate where the fish are suspended. They will move up and down in the water column. Change up on the retrieve can be effective also. I will sometimes retrieve slowly, stop, and jig the spoon up and allow it to fall back watching for the bite. Sometimes, I will stop the retrieve and hold it with a little “jiggling” motion and resume the retrieve. Other times, I will retrieve, stop, and swim the spoon from side to side to mimic a swimming shad. One important factor is if you detect a bite and miss hooking the fish, immediately release the line and let the spoon fall back a couple feet and start the retrieve again. You will be amazed at how many times the fish will hit the spoon again, giving you a second chance at hooking the prize at the end of the line.
There is only one drawback to fishing the spoon. They are not snag proof and the treble hook on the end of the spoon will easily hang up in brush. This makes fishing the spoon over and in heavy cover impossible. The spoons are not cheap and since I use 4# test line, I prefer not to lose too many. They work great fishing from docks, in shad schools, or in light covered areas which reduce the chance of getting hung up.
Expanding the arsenal for catching fish is always advisable. I, for one, have included spoons in my arsenal and am glad I did. It’s just one more tool to put fish in the boat. Give it a try, I think you’ll like it.
