10-13-2025, 09:03 PM
(10-13-2025, 05:07 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote:(10-13-2025, 03:57 PM)Kent Wrote:(10-13-2025, 02:28 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote: Nice report Kent, I had a bunch of questions as we were texting but I got busy on one of my projects and forgot to reply to your last text. What was the average FOW that you were catching them in? Were the jigs you were using glow jigs? My theory on why the crappie nibbles worked for us in years past was the depth we were catching them in, 40 FOW. Recently we have been catching them at half that depth, so the glow nibbles did not help us. Without a doubt, location is key but crappie are always moving, so where we find them one day might not produce on the next trip but they will usually stay in the same general area. Did you try any worms as bait? Were you always in contact with the bottom, while using the jigs?
Most of the crappie were caught in 18' of water and 19' was about the deepest we caught any. We caught several in water in the 15' range.
Neither the jigs nor the crappie nibbles were glow. (Through the ice I have used glow jigs and non-glow crappie nibbles. I purchased some glow nibbles to try this coming ice season.)
I tried worms (AKA as baby night crawlers) on one rod the first day and caught some crappie on them, but I also caught more mudcats on that rod, so I quit using worms.
Yes, we were always ticking the bottom with the bottom jig.
One other thing is that I used my ice-fishing rods (42" long, light and extremely sensitive). It was great fun catching them on those rods. I also enjoy catching fish at speeds at ~.7 mph or less than at typical trolling speeds. I enjoy the fight of reeling in a fish with the boat moving at a slower speed.
Ok, thanks for the added info. I was going to try using a drop shot type set up, with a weight on the bottom and the jig right above it, because I figured the crappie would be just off the bottom and there would be less of a chance of getting snagged, using a weight, instead of a jig but it sounds like that wasn't a problem for you. Did you catch the majority of the crappie on the bottom jig or the one above it?
I only broke off once in two days of fishing (we tried to avoid any areas that were rocky). I was using three jigs and I caught crappie on all them.