Page 48 - ODUNovAndDec2018

that structure.”

As Peterson explains, the 1/4-ounce weight serves as an escort for his bait. Precision placement is the
key ingredient, so he wants to know exactly where each bait goes.

“I want it to drop perfectly straight down; I don’t want any whip or resistance in that line,” Peterson
says. “I want to be able to suck that bait as tight to the structure as I can, especially when I’m fishing
really thick brushpiles. II see a pocket on the screen, it’s really important to drop down in there quickly
and get the fish out.”

Now, if Peterson’s fishing more around docks in the river system, he switches to a tube or a craw tube
presentation. Skipping or flipping works and he’ll match his jig head size to water flow.

“When the current is strong, you want to get your bait down there, so we may use a 1/16- or a 1/8-
ounce head,” Peterson said. “But in average current, a 1/32- to 1/16 is what I use.”

Successful southern reservoir crappie
masters will mark a brushpile, throw a
marker, quickly back off, and make long
casts with light jigs. 1/16th ounce is a
standard, shifting up with winds and
down with a still surface.

One particularly effective combination is
a Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a
Z-Man ElaZtech Finesse ShadZ or Trick
ShotZ. The inherent buoyancy of ElaZtech
slows the fall, while the material’s
durability stands up to fish after fish.

If you prefer hardbaits, LIVETARGET’s
lipless Golden Shiner Rattlebait is a
proven crappie slayer. Cast over the
brushpile, let the bait sink a couple
seconds, and retrieve straight back to the
boat. (A new, smaller Golden Shiner
Rattlebait will be available soon, too.)

Crappies don’t leave the lakes, rivers and
reservoirs in late fall. In fact, if you locate
fish, there’ll likely be throngs of them.
Look for wood structures on the edges of
current and brushpiles positioned on
points and breaks, and feed them live
minnows, finesse jigs and miniature

rattlebaits. You’ll be glad you did…