KENT DRISCOLL ON CRANKBAITING FOR CRAPPIE

Driscoll Choice of Crankbaits and Equipment

EDITOR'S NOTE: Kent Driscoll of Cordova, Tennessee, enjoys crappie fishing so much that he fishes the Crappie U.S.A. and North American Crappie Tournament trails and belongs to the Troll Mate Crappie Club in Memphis, Tennessee. For the next week, I'll tell you about the tactics Driscoll employs for the summer months to take suspended crappie. This week we'll learn about crankbaiting for big crappie.

Question: Which crankbaits do you use to fish for crappie?
Answer: I use the Deep Wee-R that's chartreuse with an orange belly. I can run the Wee-R down to 16-feet deep, but if I need to go deeper I'll switch over to an Excalibur Fat Free Shad. The Fat Free Shad can get down to 20-feet deep. I watch the depth finder the whole time to make sure my baits are in the middle of the fish. Also, I always put a swivel on my crankbaits to give the lure more action and make it look lifelike.

Question: On what kind of pole do you fish the crankbaits for crappie?
Answer: I run different poles on my crankbaits. I run a Line-Counter reel on all my rods so I know how much line I have out. My front pole is a 6-foot medium-action bass rod, and I Carolina rig the crankbait on it. My second rod will be 8-1/2-feet long and have the same setup with a different color crankbait. The second rod will run outside the first one since it is longer. My back two rods will be 7- and 8-feet long. These are my longlines. I let these out behind the boat 100 feet when I start. I vary the depths all day.

Question: What is the criteria for a crankbait to be a good crappie bait?
Answer: You want a crankbait that runs at least 8-feet deep. I like the Bomber Model A B06A in the fire tiger and oxbow-bream colors, the Rebel Deep Wee-R and the Cotton Cordell C.C. Rattlin Shad in metalized perch. At the store, look on the back of the package, and make sure the crankbait runs deep enough.

Question: What size line are you using?
Answer: I like 12-pound-test line on all my rods. You must use the same-size line on all your rods to be able to run the crankbaits consistently at the same depths.

Question: When do you use the big Excalibur crankbait?
Answer: When the fish are deep - 18-20 feet deep.

To learn more about Lake Arkabutla, Driscoll's favorite crappie-trolling lake near Hernando, Mississippi, go to www.visitmississippi.org, or call (800) WARMEST. You also can go to www.hernandoms.org or call the chamber of commerce at (662) 429-9055, or check out the Days Inn in Hernando at (662) 429-0000, or see www.thedaysinn.com.

TOMORROW: HOW DRISCOLL GOT STARTED