How To Troll Crankbaits for Summer Crappie

You might not think twice about Greg Robinson unhooking a crappie that just ate an Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R – unless you knew that Robinson’s approach that day was trolling crankbaits! Then you might wonder a little. Robinson, a veteran Beaver Lake crappie guide, uses Bandit 300 crankbaits and various Bobby Garland Crappie Baits together in his unique and highly effective trolling technique.

Trolling crankbaits helps Robinson cover water to find feeding crappie and provides precise depth control, allowing him to identify each day’s feeding zone and to run baits in that zone. The tandem lure rig appeals to fish in different moods and allows him to present soft plastic lures with the same depth control as the crankbaits.

We’ll take a closer look at Robinson’s trolling rig and technique and at the adjustments he makes to make the most of every day on the water.

Robinson’s primary crankbait for trolling is unsurprising. Crappie anglers have long considered the Bandit 300 the standard for crankbait trolling. Its 2-inch size, moderate wobble, natural baitfish shape and running depth range are perfect for the task, and it comes in an outstanding selection of colors for crappie trolling.

Unique is Robinson’s addition of a trailer bait, which glides through the water column a foot and a half behind the crankbait at the same depth. To rig, he ties an 18-inch section of 6-pound-test line to the rear hook hanger eye of his crankbait and ties a No. 6 or No. 8 hook to the end of the leader, stringing the bait onto the hook with no additional weight.

His primary trailer baits are an Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R or Itty Bit Mayfly, which are only 1.25 inches long, a Baby Shad and a Slab Slay’R. The soft-plastic trailer stays at the same level as the crankbait and has a slight side-to-side movement from the crankbait’s wobble. The uninhibited fluid motion and small profile make it look like a very easy meal. It’s not unusual for crappie to bump the crankbait then take the soft plastic.

Robinson uses B’n’M Pow-R Troller Rods in 18-, 14-, 12- and 6-foot lengths, positioned with the longest rods in the front and tapering back to spread the baits behind the boat. He uses line-counter reels spooled with 10-pound test. He most commonly trolls between 1.5 and 2 mph but always allows the crappie to dictate his speed.

Crappie that grab trolling baits hook themselves. If you set the hook, you lose the fish, Robinson noted.

Robinson typically begins trolling late in the spring, when water temperatures reach 65 to 70 degrees. The crappie are in post-spawn mode, with many fish suspending 12 to 15 feet beneath the surface. In late May and early June, the bluegill spawn, and the crappie feed heavily on bluegill fry and fingerlings at that time.

Soon after, Mayfly hatches begin, and the hatching insects become the crappie’s primary forage. They suck in the Mayflies, which causes their mouths to get red and raw looking. During that time, Robinson’s trailer baits, which suggest an aquatic insect, typically become extra important.

During mid-to late summer, a thermocline sets up on Beaver Lake, and the fish mostly hold just above the thermocline, so that’s the level Robinson targets. These fish relate heavily to shad, so Robinson uses a lot of shad-suggesting colors in his crankbaits and his soft plastics.

When I spoke with Robinson late last week the thermocline was starting to set up in select areas. A lack of water movement through the lake was preventing it from spreading and getting fully established where it needed to be, but he felt like it was very close to the time when that would be his driving trolling pattern for the remainder of summer.

Running depth is a critical factor for effective crappie trolling, and the optimal depth can vary daily with no obvious difference in conditions or even how the fish appear to be set up. Effective patterning and refining are critical to maximizing trolling success.

Trolling speed and the distance between the rod tip and the lure determine running depths of trolled crankbaits, with higher speeds and an increased length of line out both causing baits to run deeper. If the fish are feeding at the deep end of the baits’ running range but only slower trolling speeds will trigger strikes, that dictates putting out more line.

Robinson continually watches his electronics as he fishes, looking for how crappie are relating to baitfish and structure and especially at the depths where they are holding. He starts with his baits in the depth range that makes sense, based on conditions and what he sees, but he continually experiments with trolling speeds and the amount of line out. The line counter reels allow him to strategically stagger depths.

Robinson seldom trolls in a straight line, especially early in the day. Instead, he subtly zigzags, so the boat is often in soft turn to the left or the right. Along with covering a broader swath, this is important for patterning. Anytime the boat is turning, the inside lines slow slightly and therefore run shallower while the outside one move faster and dig a bit deeper. If bites consistently occur on inside lines when he is turning, he knows to slow the trolling speed just a bit.

As Robinson refines the pattern regarding depth and speed, he also pays attention to whether baits of certain colors get more hits, especially among baits running at the same depth. Little pattern refinements occur as Robinson fishes, and the adjustments made result in far more crappie finding their way into the boat.

The Bandit 300 is currently available in six special Crappie Colors on Lurenet. All are popular Bobby Garland Crappie Baits colors adapted as painted crankbait colors. The Crappie Colors are a limited run, available while supplies last.

• Bleeding Shad
• Monkey Milk Glo
• Spring Fling
• Chartreuse Red Glitter
• Threadfin
• Bluegrass