Crappie Fishing photo
Samuel A. Minick
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1. Load Let out enough line so the jig hangs parallel with the bottom rod guide. Hold the jighead in your left hand between your thumb and index and middle fingers with the hook pointing out to avoid getting snagged on the release. In your rod hand, keep your right index finger on the trigger, which unlocks the spool.

2. Draw Lower the jig to your left side and extend your right arm out, keeping the rod angled toward the water. As your arm extends, it will create a bend in the rod. Do not create tension by pulling on the jig. Continue to bend the rod by extending your arm until the face of the tip-top guide is parallel to the water’s surface.
WHAT DO YOU do if crappies are hanging in the shade way back under a dock? You shoot them. But leave the gun at home. All you need is a 5-foot spinning rod and a closed-face spinning reel, preferably with a front trigger. This slingshot technique sends a light jig into tight spaces. I learned it on Alabama’s Weiss Lake, but it works just as well for getting under overhanging limbs and blowdowns, too.

3. Aim Once the rod is fully drawn, your arms should not change position. When you’re ready to aim, point the rod tip at your target spot by turning your entire upper body to line up the shot.__

4. Fire Release the jig and pull the reel trigger at the same time to shoot. If the jig goes high, you probably broke your left wrist when you let the jig go. If the jig whizzes back at your head, you fired the trigger too late. The jig should fly straight and low to the water.