Many crappie anglers halt their fishing during the winter months but focusing efforts on sunken timber can be incredibly productive on rivers. Professional crappie angler Todd Huckabee shares his system for finding and catching crappies relating to trees using jigs and plastics in conjunction with Garmin LiveScope. And unlike targeting crappies suspended in open water, presenting baits to fish holding tight to cover requires precision boat control.
Huckabee hits on a range of topics from boat positioning to reduce spooking, how the biggest and most aggressive crappies position in river timber, and his preferred rod, reel, and line setup for extracting big specks. Not getting bit with an active jigging approach? Huckabee explains how less lure movement produces better catch rates during the cold-water months.
Check out our Crappie Fishing Channel for more in-depth content.
KEY TACKLE & FISHING EQUIPMENT
- FISH FINDER – Garmin GPSMAP 8612 12″ Chartplotter
- LIVE SONAR – Garmin Panoptix LiveScope
- PLASTIC – Redneck Rubber Beaver Bottom Bait
- JIG – Redneck Rubber Raptor, 1/8-ounce
- ROD – Todd Huckabee Elite Rod
- REEL – Abu Garcia Max X Casting Reel
- LINE – K9 Crappie Braid, 10-pound
- TROLLING MOTOR – Minn Kota Ultrex
