Drop Shotting Crappies in Open Water | New Methods

Wired2fish’s Mitch Anderson explains how he locates roaming crappies using live forward-looking sonar (Humminbird MEGA Live) and catches them with a finesse drop shot setup. Crappies are schooling panfish constantly on the move, but they’re also eager biters if you can get a bait in front of them. Sonar, whether the more common 2D or newer forward-looking varieties, is a huge aid in finding fish fast. Similarly, a drop shot is among the quickest rigging setups for putting bait on their snout in a natural manner.

KEY TACKLE & EQUIPMENT

BAIT – Berkley PowerBait Ice Whipworm
LIVE SONAR – Humminbird MEGA Live Imaging
BOW 1 – Humminbird HELIX 12 MEGA SI+ G4N
HOOK – Berkley Fusion19 Drop Shot Hook, size 4
LINE – Berkley X5 Braided Line, 8-pound
LEADER LINE – Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon LineClear, 8-pound
ROD – Abu Garcia Veritas PLX TE Spinning Rods (replaces Villain)
REEL – Abu Garcia REVO SX 30 Spinning Reel

OTHER GOOD SOFT BAIT OPTIONS

Anderson shares his drop shot setup, catered around delivering micro soft baits to unsuspecting fish. While live bait generates bites, quality plastics are usually good for several fish per bait and can catch them just as well without time wasted spend re-baiting hooks. Using real-time sonar feedback to maintain contact with crappies is key to Anderson’s success in open water. With that in mind, he shares some boat control tips for positioning relative to the wind to stay on fish and make accurate casts to them.

Editors note: with new powerful fish-finder technologies comes an increased responsibility to fisheries. Please use responsibly — practice selective harvest and catch and release to help preserve quality fishing opportunities for other anglers and future generations.