Fish Stories

[Pullstart 62,837]

The other day, Mrs. P. purchased a pallet of store returns from a re-seller.  This Crappie Rod was in there.  It’s super flexible and 10’ long.  Is it any good?  I am not the fisherman I should be, but most of my time growing up on the lake I was either playing with my Jet Skis or working in the garage.  When fishing became not catching, it became boring and kind of spoiled my fish time.  I’d like to get back in more often, but don’t really know where to start shy of a Walmart fish kit.

 

I know how to cast (or at least know the fundamentals) but don’t know a good reel.  What about line?  The details say 4-10 lb.

[Ed Kennell 38,145]

Not an experienced crappie or croppy fisherman.    But a 10' rod indicates a dapping style of fishing where you don't cast but reach in the cover with the long rod and dap the bait on the fish.      So, any reel that stores the line would work for this type of no cast fishing.     I can see a manual fly reel being used.    I have used 10' fly rods for dapping for trout on small overgrown streams where casting is not an option.

 

For casting light 2-6lb test mono line, I prefer an open faced mini reel.

This is my Shimano graphite  mini reel w/4lb mono  on a Fenwick graphite mini rod that I use for freshwater trout and panfish.  the complete outfit only weighs a few ounces.

  Good for throwing light spinners and small baits like salmon eggs, corn, and power baits.

[Darb1964 1,042]

Looks like it tells you on the rod what is best for use, crappie are a smaller fish so five pound line or so. The other looks like ten pound line so bigger fish like bass. The line is good for heavier fish than the line is listed at. The reel should list the range line it's best for. Then set the drag on the real dependent on the fish your after. Drag is how much pull it takes to pull line out. Best bet is go to a pro shop.

[Pullstart 62,837]

2 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

crappie or croppy

We called ‘em specks growing up.  I understand the dapping, I did that long before I knew what it meant (just found out, never heard of it!). We had a channel around a marsh area at the lake and my grandparents lived on the channel.  Kind of a sunken marshy area.  The specks would hang out under the shelf of cat tails and I could drop gold hooks in with no bait and they would eat ‘em up all day!  They were usually a good 8-10”, compared to the 5-6” blue gills we would normally catch.

[Darb1964 1,042]

2 minutes ago, Darb1964 said:

Looks like it tells you on the rod what is best for use, crappie are a smaller fish so five pound line or so. The other looks like ten pound line so bigger fish like bass. The line is good for heavier fish than the line is listed at. The reel should list the range line it's best for. Then set the drag on the real dependent on the fish your after. Drag is how much pull it takes to pull line out. Best bet is go to a pro shop.

Ed is right, I like the open face too but push buttons I think are better for beginners and kids.

[Ed Kennell 38,145]

2 minutes ago, Darb1964 said:

Then set the drag on the real

Probably the most important detail that determines if you land the fish that you have finally hooked.

 

To set the proper drag, do not pull the line off the reel.  The line passing thru the guides and across the tip top at an angle add drag.

Hook the line to a stationary object , then adjust the drag so you can easily lift the rod with a reasonable bend in the rod.

[Achto 27,565]

5 hours ago, Pullstart said:

 

 

The rod does not have a finger hold on it, this means that it is designed to have a spinning reel on it. Not a push button or bait caster reel.

 

This rod can be used for dapping style of fishing, much like a cane pole. It can also be useful for casting out a bobber rig, specially useful on a windy day where your bobber drifts back toward you. The length of the rod allows you to pick up a lot of slack line in a hurry.

 

I personally like to use these 10ft crappie poles for trolling flat lines behind the boat, unconventional I know but they work quite well. I rig them up with 12lb line and a spinning reel. Then I will pull crawler rigs or #5 to #7 Shad Rap baits with them behind the boat. The length and give of the 10ft poles keep the baits running smooth even in rough water. Works great for small and large fish, I caught gills, crappie, walleye, northern, perch, etc. using these poles as trolling rods. 

[wh500special 2,170]

I googled that rod and it looks like B+M intends for it to be used like Ed suggested; for dapping.  We call that jigging, dobbing, or dappling here.  But you’ll essentially drop a length of line out with your weighted hook or lure on it and hold it near a piece of structure.  Then pick up and move to the next spot.  Give it a little up and down motion at the tip and you’re jigging.  Use a bobber if you like.
 

It appears that the rod is usually sold as a combo with a chintzy little reel on it that resembles a fly reel.  It’s mostly just something to store the line.  That would certainly be sufficient for straight up and down fishing but a real reel 😎 would be better. As others said, you want a spinning reel under it. 
 

I suppose you can cast with it too, but it looks like the line guides are very small diameter which isn’t ideal for casting with the open face spinning reel you’ll hang underneath it.  The line sort of whips around off of these types of reels so they work best with larger diameter guides. 
 

I spend about 80% of my time on the water these days targeting crappie. They’re fun to catch and make the nice occasional meal.  Easy to clean and delicate, white meat.  
 

My all around rod is a 9 footer perhaps only a little different than yours.  Mine is probably “better” but it doesn’t really matter.  In the boat I use it almost  exclusively for jigging, but when I fish from the bank I’ll toss a bobber with it too.  
 

I also use a slightly heavier ten footer and occasionally a 16 footer for some applications.  For general bass/walleye/whateverisbiting I use heavier action graphite 6.5 footers.  
 

The advantage these specialty crappie rods have over other rods is that they have a nice, soft action that resists tearing the hooks out of the delicate mouths of a crappie.  They’re nicknamed papermouths for this reason.  That soft action also makes these rods a hoot when you hook the occasional catfish or bass.  My 6.5’ sticks work for crappie, but take a looser drag setting and a bit of paying attention. 
 

You should be able to get a good enough reel for about $20-$30.  Fishing equipment can cost as much as you want to spend. I find most of the improvements as you move up the chain to be incremental at best.  Size wise, you should shoot for something a bit larger than the ultralight class.  Not that you need a beefy reel, but the extra weight that comes from a modest  upsizing helps counterbalance that long rod.  
 

I almost universally use 6 and 8 pound test monofilament line even on my bass and walleye stuff.  I certainly wouldn’t go lower than 6 just because you should anticipate getting snagged a lot and you have a better chance of getting your rig back by pulling it out of the snag or even by straightening the hook with the heavier line. 
 

If you have super clear water then you’re best served with clear line.  But panfish like crappie and bluegill aren’t particularly afraid of fishing line so I find that my favorite is Stren Clear Blue Fluorescent. It’s not quite clear so it makes it easy to watch for the telltale movement from light biting fish. 
 

Springtime is when the crappie will be shallow and easy to access from the bank.  They move up when the water warms to the high 50’s and become easily catchable in trees, reeds, etc.  After the spawn, which is probably June in MI, they’ll push out to deeper cover.  Mid summer they suspend in the open water.  Nighttime bites are good that time ff year along the bank.  They come back shallow in the fall until the lakes drop into the 40’s or so then they go looking for deeper water. 
 

Bluegill and sunfish can remain shallow all year but the largest usually head for deep water in the heat of summer. 
 

Crappie are schooling fish.  So if you find one, he’s probably not alone. 
 

my battery is dying, time to cut this off.  
 

Good luck!

Steve

Edited January 19, 2023 by wh500special