Drop-Shot Fishing Tips for Wintertime Crappie

Ifthere is a key to catching crappie in cold winter months, it is in firstfinding a group of slabs to actually target.

Butonce you do find such a school of crappie, then the trick becomes getting themto bite.

Mostdays, that's not too difficult on a good crappie lake where anglers can quicklyput a limit of crappie in their livewells. But sometimes, coldwater slabs get abit on the persnickety side.

Whenyou find yourself in a similar situation, don't despair. Instead, give thisdrop-shot technique a try, courtesy of World Fishing Network's very own Fishful Thinker, Chad LaChance.

"Ifyou can position yourself directly over a school of crappie, one that is perhapssuspended on trees or over some other sort of structural element, try holding aminnow-shaped jig – something like a Gulp! or PowerMinnow bait – dead still afew inches above them for five to 10 seconds," said LaChance.

Sincecrappie like to look up, that might be enough to entice them into biting.

Butif not, LaChance says to give drop-shotting – or dabbing as the technique also iscalled – a try.

"Whenthe (fish won't bite), you want to quickly drop the rod tip two inches and stopit," said LaChance. "You're trying for a sudden, short drop of thejig. This little drop will often trigger instant bites."

Atechnique that he learned from friend Charlie Bunting, LaChance says thisdrop-shotting technique is a good way to trick wintertime slab into biting.

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Andit's a good way to start working your way towards a limit of coldwater crappie.

Tosee LaChance demonstrate this technique, watch this video: