CRAPPIE ANGLER’S UNORTHODOX APPROACH

Todd Huckabee is unorthodox because of his tackle selection.

As with most crappie anglers, Todd seeks aggressively biting fish. But that is where he seems to depart from conventional wisdom.  Todd maintains, “Crappie will bite big baits.”  By following and learning what the fish are eating he finds they take larger forage than is usually assumed.

For this reason he uses stiffer rods and heavy line. His jig choice is a 1/4 ounce jig with a 2/0 hook.  He points out that a one pound crappie has a mouth opening the size of a golf ball.

He attributes his search for aggressively feeding fish to a past career as a tournament angler. He tries to learn from each fish he catches.  He develops a pattern.  By finding out what attracts the fish to a specific spot he finds others in the same location.  As he puts it, “The most dominant fish set the table.”

Huckabee believes that fish are biting somewhere all the time.   He maintains that crappies prefer to be shallow.  It is there that they find food.  The crappies feeding playing field is shallow.  For this reason he uses a small cork and casts his offering up into the shallows.  He always uses the popular loop knot called the Palomar Knot.  It allows the jig to float in an more natural presentation.

“When you feel a bite it is the crappie taking the slack out of your line,” says Todd. That is why he likes the heavier line.

Crappies are a sunfish and Huckabee finds they like the sun to absorb sunlight in egg production and aggressive feeding activity.   They spawn 6 to 12 times per year and the rest of the time they feed.

Another aspect of crappie activity is their lack of movement. Huckabee maintains that crappies live within 300 yards of where they were born, for their entire life.  Lake born crappies will always stay in the lake and creek born ones will always stay in the creek.

In summer the best bite according to Todd is in the heat of the day.