Catching crappie two at a time on tandem rigs

Crappie are full of eggs, waiting to spawn

Capt. Todd Vick of Fishin’ Freshwater Charters (843-333-8200) said most of the crappie he has been catching are full of eggs. They are waiting to spawn, but are constantly moving from deep water to shallow as the crazy weather of recent weeks has the fish just as confused as it has anglers.

“They move shallow on the warm days, then deep when it turns cold again. They are waiting to spawn. The only thing stopping them is the weather,” he said.

But Vick said the crappie are definitely biting. And anglers are catching them with a variety of techniques.

Try a tandem rig and catch two at a time

“It can be a grind this time of year on some days. The warmer days have been best. But you can still catch them no matter what the weather’s doing. It takes a little more work on days with clouds mixed with sun mixed with rain mixed with wind. But they’re biting, and we’re catching some quality fish,” he said.

Slow trolling with a tandem rig has been very effective for Vick recently. He ties on two 1/16-ounce jigs about 2 feet apart on 6-pound test line while using a limber rod that’s 9 feet long. And he usually tips the jigs with live minnows. He places the rod in a rod holder, then lets the wind push him if it’s not too windy. Otherwise he uses his trolling motor to creep along. It’s not uncommon to catch two crappie at a time when he gets into a school.

Check out the attached video to see how he does it, and notice how overcast it is at the beginning, then how sunny it is once he starts catching fish.

This story first appeared on CarolinaSportsman.com.