Craps ?

[robby]

Fished a lake Sunday,and the crappies were very aggresive in 2'-3' of water.Last night fish were still there,but an

entirely different mood.They would follow,butI couldn't find a real pattern.Best luck was no float,and just kept

switching between plastics,and minnows.Any tips for these

non-aggresive fish? Purple stub grubs were dynamite on

Sunday.Thanks for any info.

[Matt Johnson]

I would go with a slow-fall approach for those fish. With all the varied weather we've seen lately, I've had the best luck with plastics that slowly glide in front of the fish's face. There are a few ways to achieve a slow-fall approach. First, go with a plastic that incorporates a slow-fall action. The Rat Grub and Stub Grub baits do this, as do Umbrella tubes and paddle style plastics. Another way to achieve a slow-fall approach would be to down-size the weight of the jig, or else just use a plain hook with the plastic. I would also stick with using a float so you can keep the plastic in the strike zone. However, like you said, you don't want to keep the bait motionless for long periods of time, keep it moving, hopping and gliding. If you can't get the fish to bite through aggressiveness, you might be able to get them to bite on reaction or stimulation. The glide and slow-fall has really seemed to trigger these fish into biting. And, if the slow-fall approach doesn't work, try using a Ratso (ice fishing tackle). That was the ticket a week back for me when nothing else worked...

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson