Crappie anglers at the recent Crappie Masters Florida State Championship had to fight cold weather and high winds in their effort to catch a stringer of crappie. On Sunday, the final day winds were blowing hard and gusting harder. When Mother Nature throws a curveball fishing techniques become very important.
Floridians George Parker and Tim Eberly are regular competitors and winners on the tournament trail. This past week they elected to fish Lake Woodruff, a shallow open body of water. The winds made the lake very difficult to fish.
The Mr. Crappie, Wally Marshall team is always focused on presentation. One of the tools they use when spider rigging or pulling is Power-Pole Drift Paddles. “If you want to be successful fishing for crappie you have to concentrate on your presentation,” instructs Parker. “Often the presentation needs to be slower. I use Power-Pole Drift Paddles anytime I need to go slower.”
Parker says the paddles are especially helpful in severe wind conditions. “If it is blowing 20 MPH or more, I can stick those paddles all the way down and achieve a much slower speed and a much smoother ride. The paddles also stop the bouncing and steady the bait presentation.”
He says the easy adjusting paddles allow him to control his drift with precision. “Simply pull a spring loaded lever to adjust the paddles to the angle you want. You can set them up so you drift parallel to a shoreline, or follow a ridge or drop. I set the trolling motor on autopilot to keep the boat straight and forget about it. I can spend my time tending the poles instead of controlling the boat.” Continue reading at this link – http://www.examiner.com/article/crappie-fishing-the-wind?CID=examiner_alerts_article