CRAPPIE (cont.)

one of those mating rituals.

The black crappie have 78 dorsel spines on the back, while the white crappie have 5-6 dorsel spines.

Black crappie are mostly found in clearer water and are rarely caught in dirtier water lakes. The white crappie is more abundant in dirty water lakes and rivers. Lure manufacturers are coming out with so many different colors that it's hard to pick which one will work best. In dirty water, I like a bright color and in clearer water a more natural color. The colors I keep most are pink/white, black/chartreuse, pink/chartreuse, and a natural minnow color with a black

than monofilament.

Monofilament tends to float and is as abrasion resistant as florocarbon.

Because I like to use as light of a weight as possible, floro helps me to get my bait down quicker and fish will hold onto a lighter bait as opposed to a heavier one. It's hard to say what type of crappie fishing is my favorite. I guess slingshotting a jig under a dock is tops. Sling-shotting is done by using a spinning reel combined with a light action rod. You hold the jig in your have and pull back and release sending to lure skipping across the water.

By keeping your rod low to the water allows you to get back under docks and increases your chances of getting bit.

The fishermen that really want to fill their freezer use a technique called 'spiderrigging.' This is done by putting multiple rods out on the front and back of the boat with baits at various depths. I have rarely fished this way because I love feeling the thump when a fish bites. Spider-rigging is just as popular in winter as it is in summer because of how productive it is. More baits in the water equates to more fish.