Preferring the warm confines of home to fishing out on a lake in 40-degree temperatures does not make one unusual. But a while back Kyle Schoenherr’s tales of 2-pound crappie became irresistible. In addition to the cold weather the idea of fishing with 16-foot poles was also new. The limber poles provide the sensitivity to feel virtually everything that comes into contact with the terminal tackle.
All Seasons Crappie Fishing (www.allseasonscrappiefishing.com) is a guide service dedicated to crappie fishing all year. Kyle is also a tournament crappie fisherman who rather successfully competes on the Crappie Masters tournament trail.
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Cruising along on Lake Kinkaid near Murphysboro, Illinois the wind is down but the air cold. We begin fishing along some bluffs. Kyle explains that the bluffs continue into the water. Below the surface are rocks and brush. What is surprising is that the structure is some 40 feet below the surface.
The terminal tackle is a standard crappie rig of a heavy sinker at the end with a tag line tied about 18 inches up. On the tag line is a small jig or a hook with a minnow. The rig is jigged vertically. A slight twitching motion is applied to give the minnow or jig a realistic presentation. Usually in deep water a shorter rod is used. Kyle prefers the sensitivity of a long pole.
We slowly troll parallel to the underwater ledges beneath the bluffs. Kyle explains that he prefers to follow the lay of the land beneath the surface as opposed to the shoreline. The bottom here drops off three or four feet which seems to make a difference in the fish we see in the locator. Read more….
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