plastics overload?

[CrappieJohn]

Last night I read an article in a publication that was discussing plastics and the versatility of it. It got me to thinking about a few things regardind my own stores of plastic that I use for my crappie fishing. I dug my crappie bag out of the closet and commenced to go thru the tubes and twisters, doing a bit of an inventory and here is what I came up with. Keep in mind now that I actively use everything in this collection.
In 1 1/2 inch tubes, I have 38 colors;
In two inch tubes, I have 15 colors;
In 1 1/2 inch twisters I have 15 colors;
In two inch twisters I have 8 colors;
None of the tubes are scented, but of the twisters in 1 1/2 inch, eight are scented as are five of the 2" twisters.
This collection does not reflect the other plastics that are in the bag and also used quite frequently. When I looked at the pile on the floor, I asked myself which of these could be eliminated, which do not have a solid place in the tackle arsenal? The answer...none of them. They all have a place or serve a purpose depending on time of year, water conditions, and weather conditions. Granted, some of the more transparent tubes ( fire/ice, firecracker) are used pretty much only in clear-water lakes, if you don't have then along you will most certainly need them. But why have such an array?
Many of you have heard me speak of contrast colors....something to either stand out against a stained water or appear much darker than the water itself. After sorting through the issues of water temp, time of year, water clarity,etc, you need to begin looking at contrast as a factor in the strike response of the fish. Withput changing the actual size of a bait you can make it appear larger or smaller by changing the way it contrasts in the water. Yes, crappies have unbelieveable eyesight and one of the most refined lateral-line characteristics in the fish world, but often times they will not respond to a bait because they become leery of it due to its percieved size or downright frightened by it. When fish are being marked and not hitting, try using something completely out of sych with your normal agenda...put on a very clear/ sparkle tube, remove about every third tentacle fron the tail and just hold it slightly above the marked fish. While they may not see it clearly, thier lateral lines will most certainly pick up the vibrations and, combined with even poor vision, stir the interest in it.

[united jigsticker]

Good points Tom.

An old myth was if you are a Panfisherman, you don't need a large tackle box. A hook, a bobber, and some worms or minnows and you're set to go.

As successful as that may be at certain times, it's just not going to land you on a limit of fish for every outing.

Bass, Pike, Walleye. These species typically see a huge box of assorted lures from plastics, cranks, spoons, spinners, snells, jigs, etc. Then you have the worm blowers, and all that other stuff needed, and the tackle box can grow quite large and into to multiple outfits.

Well how many packs of tubes, tails, twisters, jig heads, jigging spoons, flu-flu's, tear drops, glow jigs, marabous, rabbit hair, rat finkies, demons, Angel Eyes, black ants, etc, in all the various color schemes, weights, and sizes are you going to fit in one small box?

Not too many.

How many of us can easily run to 3 different places, spending up to $80-$100 when its all said on done, on just Panfish targeting lures in various colors, schemes, shapes, and presentations?

I know I can.

How many of you Crappie fisherman have at least one large box of Crappie paraphanilia, if not 2, or 3...or more, even if you're not an absolute exclusive Crappie fisherman?

The point is a good one though: Don't be afraid to go to something totally out of the ordinary, whether that be a color scheme, style, or size. It could very well lead to your biggest day on the water!

One of the biggest keys to success? Diversity and an open mind!

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Good fishing,
UJ
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 12-02-2003).]

[Guest]

Yep, I have a pretty large tacklebox all geared towards crappies and gills. Its looks like one of those 144 color crayon boxes with all the different colors in it. All different sizes of tubes, tails, plastics, jigs, flies, floats....the list goes on. I'll often times switch the color of my plastic 30 times in a day to find out what the fish react to the best.

Same goes for ice fishing. I have one large box for crappies and gills, and another box for walleyes and pike. A lot of plastics for icing panfish as well and a lot of different colors too.

Tom has an excellent point. Changing the color scheme can make all the difference in the world. Going dark in clear water or even going clear in clear water can make a difference. Thats where the term, "lures that catch fishermen" comes into play. If look in most tackleboxes you'll see a ton of bright flashy colors (lures that catch fishermen) and those will work when the sitaution calls for it. But having those blacks, purples, dark blues, smoke, clear, browns...are a must when you want to have consistent catches throughout the year. Last winter I was fishing a local lake and there were about a dozen fishermen in a small area that weren't catching a thing. I dropped down a black ratso without any live bait and couldn't keep the fish off my line. They came over to ask what I was using and I told them. They were all using brite neon glow colors tipped with waxies and it looked frightening to the fish like Tom said. Small and natural was the black ratso, and it caugt fish. Just an example of what the color scheme and size or your presentation can have on fish.

Good Fishin,
Matt

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