Vertically fishing a jig with a subtle soft-plastic body over deep cover is a sure way to catch crappies when fish have left the shallows behind. (File photo)
August 27, 2024
By Jeff Knapp
My summer standards, the day was not a pleasant one. Frequent spells of wind and rain continually interrupted brief periods of blue skies. My first three spots—all submerged portions of embedded trees scattered near a creek channel—had produced only one smallmouth bass and a yellow perch. The crappies I had been seeking were thus far uncooperative, even though the sonar screen displayed clear evidence of their presence.
As I motored though the blustery weather to my next spot, I decided it would be the day’s last one. Here, I’d either be a hero or a zero. If fish were showing, I’d camp out, offering them a variety of presentations.
Found near the mouth of the lake’s largest bay, this tree remnant sat in 30 feet of water with branches extending upward nearly 10 feet. My sonar confirmed that crappies were home. The first 15 minutes did not produce a bite as I frustratingly mixed and matched jig profiles and colors. However, my stubborn attitude was finally rewarded with a foot-long crappie. I’m not sure if that initial fish fired up the school, but the next 45 minutes produced two dozen more crappies, including slabs up to 14 inches.
I bring up this story because crappies can be finicky fish. Sometimes they seem to be moving constantly. When found, they’re often fussy eaters. To catch them in summer, it’s frequently necessary to search offshore areas to find them, then be willing to present a mixed bag of offerings until you determine the right one.
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FINDING FISH Come summer, it’s unlikely you’ll find large numbers of crappies in the shallow water they inhabited during spring. Instead, move the search offshore.
Wood cover associated with creek channels is a high-percentage area. The cover can come in many forms, including lodged trees, as mentioned earlier. Add to this brush piles and cribs placed for habitat improvement and as fish attractors. Shoreline laydowns—particularly ones found along steep shorelines—can hold crappies, but such visible cover also tends to attract heavier fishing pressure. Stumps are another option, especially those hanging near a channel drop.
Let’s not overlook submergent weeds either. In natural lakes or reservoirs that support deep weeds but lack deeper wood cover, aquatic growth, which provides food and cover, is often the best option.
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Sonar plays a huge role in finding offshore crappies. It not only helps you find the cover likely to hold fish, but also determines if fish (or bait) is around.
During the summer, I expect to find crappies holding in or around cover in depths ranging from 15 to 30-plus feet. In general, fish will be on shallower cover in lakes with dingy water, and deeper in clearer water.
Traditional sonar, down imaging and side imaging all play a role in finding cover and scanning for crappies. I don’t use forward-facing sonar, but I suspect that it’s best suited for staying on fish once you find them. You can still find and catch plenty of crappies with “old school” electronics, though.
My sonar setup, by modern standards, is rather simple: a 9-inch Garmin ECHOMAP UHD and a 10-inch Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra with a high-frequency GT56 transducer. Typically, the UHD is used solely for mapping. My go-to screen on the Ultra displays SideVu on the top and traditional 2-D and DownVu on split screens on the bottom half.
The author uses a combination of side imaging, down imaging and 2-D sonar to pinpoint cover and crappies. (Photo by Jeff Knapp) Idling along at around 2 to 3 mph allows the transducer to paint a detailed picture of bottom features. When cover is found, I drop a waypoint. Incidentally, many of the spots I’ve found have come when trolling for walleyes. If anything seems interesting, it gets a waypoint for future inspection. Ensure you know how to place waypoints on your sonar screen, a process that varies depending on your unit’s brand and model.
Having multiple screens (2-D, side and down) displaying at the same time gives me several advantages. Side imaging provides a wide swath, much more so than with 2-D or down imaging. And submerged cover often displays more accurately when observed from the side. Generally, I run the range on side imaging at 70 to 80 feet with the magnification option turned on. If I see something that requires a closer look, I can quickly do so.
Down imaging, meanwhile, furnishes target separation that often lets you see fish suspended within tree branches. Crappies typically display as “leaves” on a tree in cover that’s really loaded. At times, deeper wood will be packed with concentrations of baitfish (or bugs) such that it appears as a beehive. Submerged cover can display quite differently depending on the boat’s path. Be sure to scan potential spots at different angles.
Naturally, on waters where you’ve previously identified spots, the task is simply to determine if fish are present. During the summer months, when fish tend to hold more loosely to cover, I expect to see them if they are there (as opposed to cold-weather months when they often hold tighter and are tougher to spot). Crappies observed suspended in the upper branches of trees, on the tops of cribs or out from weed lines are a welcome sight, as these are often active, biting fish. In general, if I don’t see fish that I suspect are crappies, I keep moving until I do.
STEALTH NEAR COVER As we’ve seen, crappies tend to be cover-oriented fish. I often use a casting approach to zero in on productive areas. I’ll hold the boat off the targeted area and cast to it to avoid spooking fish.
By “shallow” wood, I’m talking approximately 15 feet deep or less, and it can be any of the same brush piles, embedded trees or fish attractors discussed earlier. Basically, it’s any cover that’s shallow enough that fishing right over the top of it is likely to disturb fish. It doesn’t have to be wood. Outside weed edges—particularly points and inside turns—also qualify.
Active crappies often hold above or off to the side of cover, so it makes sense to swim a bait through that zone. I especially like using my Minn Kota Terrova ’s Spot-Lock feature to hold the boat a cast’s distance from the cover. If there’s wind, I’ll Spot-Lock upwind. Make casts over the cover with a tight line, then let the jig do a pendulum sweep over the area. Active crappies will intercept the jig. If nothing bites, you can then slowly swim the jig through the upper portions of the tree branches or brush for less aggressive fish.
I suppose a strong case could be made for using weedless jigs in this situation, but I prefer light-wire 1/16-ounce jigs. Generally, snags can be pulled free, as the hook will open a bit. Just ensure you repair it afterward. The fall rate of a 1/16-ounce jig is slow, which delays the swing and keeps it in the strike zone longer. I like action-tail plastic profiles, such as Bobby Garland’s 2.5-inch Stroll‘R , Strike King’s Mr. Crappie Slabalicious or 3-inch Galida’s Grubz , when swinging or swimming over and around cover.
Ply the right brush pile, fish attractor or deep weed patch with the right bait, and you can quickly load up on crappies. (File photo) GOING DEEPER At times, summer crappies can be found in deeper wood, particularly in clear-water lakes and deep, slow current holes in major rivers. Setting up over the cover allows you to fish it efficiently without startling crappies.
When targeting wood in 15 to 30 feet of water, I Spot-Lock over the cover, then hover a jig vertically. A subsurface portion of a tree might extend out into 40 or more feet of water, but it could have branches that reach up to within 25 feet of the surface. It’s those upper branches that I want to target. Or it could be the tops of porcupine cribs or similar artificial structures.
Whatever the case, I’ll use a 1/16-ounce jig, adding a size-3 or size-4 split shot a foot or so up the line if needed to maintain some feel. When fishing vertically, I opt for a more subtle body like a Bobby Garland Slab Slay’R or Baby Shad . If the bite is tough, I’ll add a Berkley PowerBait Crappie Nibble . A 1-inch Berkley Gulp! Alive! Minnow is another good option when you know fish are present but are reluctant to bite. Thread the minnow onto a light-wire jig head. Shallow or deep, it pays to experiment with different styles, sizes and colors of baits.
Another deep-water option is a 1/4-ounce blade bait, which—like the Gulp! minnow—can be effective when crappies ignore plastics. I drop the blade over and to the sides of cover, then allow it to hover in place for several seconds before making short and sharp upward jigging strokes. Gold is a great clear-water choice, while blades sporting pink and/or chartreuse tend to excel in stained conditions.
Often, I’ll use the Spot-Lock Jog feature to creep along the length of a brush pile or series of deep cribs, easing the boat forward 5 to 10 feet at a time while the jigs swing as they catch up. Bites can be light in this deep water, often just feeling like an unnatural weight on the line.
TACKLING SUMMER CRAPPIES Rod, reel, line and leader recommendations for dog-day slabs. Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon, St. Croix Eyecon Spinning Rod, Sufix 832 braid. For casting duties, I use 7-foot, light-power, moderate-action spinning rods teamed with 1000-sized spinning reels. The reels are spooled with 10-pound-test Sufix NanoBraid line . The thin line allows light jigs to be cast adequate distances. I use a 3-foot section of 8- or 10-pound-test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line as a leader, joined to the braid with an Albright knot.
For blade baits, I opt for a 6-foot 3-inch St. Croix Eyecon spinning rod with a medium power and a fast- or extra-fast action. This, too, is paired with a 1000-size spinning reel. I prefer 10-pound-test Sufix 832 braid when fishing blades.
This article was featured in the August 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
