Drifting for Crappies

Drifting for Crappies It's that time of year. The crappies have spawned and have made the transition to their summer- time patterns. But the question that is often asked, "where do they go for the late spring and summer months? How can I find the crappies?" The answer is - they don't move far from their spawning grounds. In the spring, they move in shallow for not only warm water but to feed until they are ready to drop their eggs. Now once this is done they will transition out where the deep basin begins. They move to the edges of the breaklines where they will filter through the weedlines and the most common weeds they hold in is cabbage. Find cabbage and you will find the crappies. During the summer months they will hold in the 8-15' of water, up until the fall, when it starts to cool down. So,the question is - how do you target crappies during the summer? Answer - drifting. The drift pattern is sometimes overlooked but can be the most rewarding. You can cover more water and zero in on those schools of crappies or where they have moved for the summer. First, what you want to do is to have 6-12 lakes that hold good crappie numbers, but also finding those stretches of weedlines that can work when the wind is right. For example: when the wind is coming from the south I’ll pick one of the lakes that the fish are going on. Then, set your boat on the the southern part of the weedline and drift. The ideal wind speed is 5-15 mph and if it is stronger a drift sock is needed to slow yourself down. The lakes that I fish have driftable stretches of 100 to 200 yards. So, what's next? Your setup for fishing is a Northland Tackle 1/32 oz. "FireFly" tipped with an Impulse plastic. No live bait bait is needed because the type of bite your going to get is reactive, a reflex action, if you will. They just can't help themselves and that's a good thing. Then, from your jig, 12 inches above, use a split shot just heavy enough to help keep that jig in place. This is when the fun begins. Crappies will normally run 2-3 feet off the bottom during the day so split that water column when you first start drifting. If you start in 12 feet, get your line down in the 6-7 feet range. Flirt with the weeds and wait for the bite, which may be heavy and then again you just may not feel it so it's important that you watch you rod tip, as well as your line. They will tell you when you have a bite. You will not only catch crappies but you will catch all species of fish and that is what makes drifting so much fun, especially when you can get the kids involved. So, when there's a west,east,south, or north wind during the summer months, the crappies can always be targeted. You'll have more success with this style of fishing and I recommend giving it a try. For more information and fishing tips, follow us on HSM Outdoors on facebook and Lake-Link.com. Until next time, be safe and we will see you on the water. (Courtesy of Chad Peterson, HookSet Media Outdoors) *Chad Peterson, aka "Crappie Sniffer", is a panfish expert and HSM pro staffer from Alexandria, Minnesota.Text

I have been out a few times in the last three weeks doing the drift thing for crappies and the pattern is holding the same as Chad stated. Today 6-17 FOW an a step weed edge running north / south. Today we had a stiff (15 MPH) wind from the south in SE Wisconsin and I had a good 1/2 mile of drift that was productive. I use 1/32 oz jigs and 1 1/2" cheap tubes from Walmart, $.96 for 10. I never use a split shot, If it's windy like today I cast the jig and let it sink for a few seconds to get some DEPTH before closing the bail. Watch your line for a twitch or sudden tightening(the bow in your line from the wind) while the jig is dropping and set the hook on anything that looks unusual. Another good way to get the jig in the "Fish Zone" when your drifting fast is to cast perpendicular to your drift direction. It gives the jig time to sink and may get some of the fish that have not been spooked by a boat drifting over the top of them, obviously less important in deeper water. First picture is from this morning the second - third is a 15.5" from 2 weeks ago.......... Mounting that one....any questions PM me