Trolling crankbaits works in fall, too

Now that October has rolled over into November, it’s time to put away all the summer things like beach chairs and pool toys. When you get around to the boat, most anglers will be rolling up those crankbait rods that filled the livewell with crappie so many times this summer.

But, hang on. It may be a little cold to hang out at the pool or on the beach but who said it’s too cold to catch crappie on crankbaits?

“They work just as good during the fall and winter too,” said Brad Taylor, a part-time crappie guide and past president of the Magnolia Crappie Club. “I love to fish them during the months of October and November anywhere you find crappie in the state of Mississippi.

“It’s a suspended fish tactic, not just a summertime tactic. Crappie spend much of the fall suspended, chasing baitfish and not really relating to any specific structure. That’s the same pattern for summer fishing except during summer they’re suspending in the thermocline to avoid the heat and bottom predators.”

Taylor pulls crankbaits on eight rods that he runs along each side of his boat, four to a side. The rods he uses are BnM Pro Staffs, a super stiff rod which keeps the crankbait from putting too much bend in the rod while trolled. He graduates the rods in length, starting with an 8-footer nearest the transom, then moves up to a 10 footer, a 12 footer and finally a 14 footer nearest the front.

“I know a lot of guys troll with their big outboard or a small gas kicker motor,” Taylor said, “but for me the most important piece of crankbaiting gear is a good electric trolling motor. I have an 80-pound thrust Minn Kota with a remote control system. That autopilot is the greatest thing ever invented for pulling crankbaits. It handles all the steering and boat control. You just set it and forget it.”

Even in cooler water, Taylor said that the target trolling speed is between 1.4 and 1.9 mph on the GPS. He will stagger the lines on his rods at 70 feet on the shortest rod and go 70, 80, and 90 feet on one side and 80, 90, 110 feet on the other. He also likes to make a lot of turns while trolling when he first starts looking for fish. That helps him find the right depth.