Fly Fishing Crappie-Beware the Hook Set!

The majority of my epic crappie catching days this year have been using a fly rod. But dispelling the idea that crappie always “thump” when they hit a lure will surely increase your catch.

Two primary considerations, one being specific to black crappie. And it’s becoming common knowledge that downsizing to small baits the majority of the seasons will catch more crappie-especially black crappie. But when a crappie takes a micro-lure there’s seldom a “thump”. With a bobber or indicator, these will simply “blink”, seldom being pulled under. Without a float rig, your line simply becomes heavy. Like you snagged some contrail moss that nearly always comes loose and rides your hook to your feet.

Today wasn’t only epic crappie fishing once I switched to the fly rod, but I probably had the most epic lesson why you can’t set the hook most of the time, crappie fishing. They have mouths the consistency of thin paper. Even during days of the “thump”, a hook set is simply lifting your rod in slow motion and applying more pressure to the line already getting heavy with the crappie. I lost countless crappie fishing the ginger fly jig today, and lifting the rod as I would a shorter spinning rod. And there was the problem. Every additional few inches of a fishing rod applies more leverage, power, and pressure. I was setting the hook like I do with a six or seven foot spinning rod, with a nine foot fly rod.

One additional little quirk the crappie threw at me today was taking the ginger fly jig so that the indicator “blinked”, but somehow still not hooked. So, after the indicator blinked I had to wait what seemed like minutes for the indicator to start moving and sometimes, actually going under the surface slightly. THEN…like a surgeon…gradually start leading the crappie like one would gently lead a dog, ever so slowly applying more pressure. What was going on between that indicator “blink” and when the crappie began to swim only the crappie know. And they ain’t talkin’.