How Do We Get A Crankbait Down There?
Trolling for crappie up on the flats is pretty straight forward, though it does require an angler to get familiar with the running depths of a particular crankbait. Obviously the diameter of the line (which affects water resistance) and the length of the line played out will affect the crankbait’s running depth. (See Crankbait ABC’s article 4: DEPTH) But as the sun rises and the fish move out towards the drop-offs, many anglers start wondering how to reach fish that may be above the thermocline but still deep in 20-30 feet of water. Brad recalls such a day, in which his partner looked down and saw a three ounce egg sinker that he had used for bass fishing up in the current. He said, “I’m gonna rig me up an egg sinker about 4 feet up above this crankbait and I’m gonna put it on the bottom.” Brad thought it was an excellent idea and suggested rigging up a Carolina rig complete with swivel and bead. Their experimental rigs had no sooner hit the bottom when the first crappie hit. This weig
