Although long-line trolling is the goal when suspended crappie are the target, it is always possible that a mild December or a series of warm fronts could cause crappie to hang up in the deep brush they’ve been calling home rather than transitioning to open water.
For this gray area, guide Chris Hammill will pack his arsenal of jigging equipment to attack the bushes.
“I’ll take my jigging rods and my trolling rods if we’re right there on the cusp,” said Hammill. “In water from 55 to 52 degrees, they’ll be in the brush piles one day, and then all of a sudden be in open water the next day. It can change that quick.
“There are three different ways to fish brush piles,” he said. “The simplest is with minnows and a slip cork. When I mark a brush pile, I’ll throw a marker buoy on it and anchor beside it. Whatever depth I’m marking crappie, I’ll set the slip cork a foot or two above it.”
According to Hammill, 90 percent of the fish will be in the top of the brush pile or on top of it. This time of year, the most productive piles will rest in 25 to 35 feet of water, with most of that brush reaching 6 to 8 feet tall.
“Fish will be from the top of it to within 10 feet of the surface,” he said.
Hammill will also work the cover with a 1/8-ounce jig.
“I’ll back off and cast past the brush, then count down about a foot per second to where I’ve marked fish,” he said. “Work down from the top to the bottom and count down a little deeper each cast.”
Last but not least, Hammill will jig vertically.
“Depth is critical”, he said. “If I’m marking fish at 12 feet, I’ll put my jig at 10 feet and just leave it there. I keep it as still as I can and maybe twitch it every once in a while. If they are active fish, they’ll come up and eat it.”
