Topic: The Best Crappie Rods of 2022 (Read 56 times)
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Why It Made the Cut
The dock shooting technique requires a very specific rod action and length and Lew’s Wally Marshall Speed Shooter delivers on all counts.
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The ability to deliver a lure to the farthest, darkest corners beneath a boat dock—or way up underneath a fallen tree—often determines whether you blank or boat dozens of nice crappies. Dock shooting requires the angler to slingshot a lure on a low trajectory across the water, often skipping it under low-hanging structures. Typically, the angler pinches the jighead between thumb and index finger, hook facing out, fully loading the rod blank to create launch velocity. With eyes on your target—typically a small opening beneath a dock, pontoon, or other cover—the lure is released, propelled by the arcing rod’s energy.
Obviously, the technique takes practice. But Lew’s Speed Shooter greatly eased my learning curve. Within a few hours of on-water practice, I was skillfully launching tiny jigs back beneath the furthest, darkest recesses of fish-holding boat docks, connecting on fish after fish. It’s an invaluable method for any crappie angler, driven largely by the right dock-shooting rod.
Why It Made the Cut
One of the primary presentations for crappie and other panfish, bobber or float rigs necessitate a longer rod with the right soft tip transitioning to moderate action mid and butt sections with ample power. While most anglers choose inexpensive fiberglass rods for their bobber fishing, this finely honed graphite blank delivers more accurate casts, enabling solid hooksets from a distance.
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Designed primarily for trout, the GL2 Trout Jig rod has proven to be a high performing crappie and panfish tool—a bit more expensive than traditional crappie rods, but capable of a lifetime of fishing. At 7 feet 2 inches, model GL2 861S TJR offers an extended handle that offsets the rod’s extra length, which also adds leverage for long lob casts and remote hooksets. The extra length also quickly picks up slack or large wind-generated bows in your line, as the bobber/float rig drifts along.
Unlike many G-Loomis designs offering excessively stiff and extra-fast action blanks, the GL2 Trout loads a bit slower, providing the measured give so essential with light lines, small lures, and delicate crappie jaws.
Why It Made the Cut
While many co*panies offer generic or low-end panfish rods, B ’n’ M Poles continues to listen to the needs of serious crappie anglers, building fine-tuned, technique-specific crappie tools. Trolling remains a valuable crappie catching technique, and B ’n’ M Poles’ pro staff designed these rods to maximize lure spread, sensitivity, and co*fort.
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Pulling crankbaits, minnow rigs, or other trolling setups requires a rod soft and forgiving enough to cushion light or braided lines while preventing missed or lost fish—particularly important given the papery thin mandibles of crappies. When a crappie bites a trolled crankbait, an excessively stiff or short rod will rip hooks loose or create slack in the line leading to lost fish. Further, a longer rod gets lures away from the boat.
Varying lengths of B ’n’ M Poles’ Trolling Rods have also allowed me to stagger my trolling spread without tangling lines. Finally, these fine rods typically set the hooks themselves: The blank’s gradual-loading nature allows crappies to inhale the entire lure or bait without feeling ample resistance, while the boat’s forward momentum drives the hooks home.
Why It Made the Cut
On the cutting edge of crappie and panfish products, Jenko Fishing’s Double Down BFS Casting rod introduces anglers to the possibility of tossing tiny lures on casting rather than spinning tackle. BFS also all but eliminates the line twist and other issues associated with spinning tackle.
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When I first fished BFS or Bait Finesse System tackle a few years ago, its ability to deliver tiny lures on casting tackle with great accuracy blew me away. A Japanese-born fishing method for casting light line and micro baits further and more accurately than co*parable spinning tackle, BFS has major potential in the crappie arena.
Jenko Fishing, a leader in crappie tackle, offers its Double Down BFS rod, a 4.2-ounce casting rod—like a bass rod in miniature. While the manufacturer suggests the rod can cast 1/80- to 1/8-ounce lures, I’ve found it shines with 1/16-ounce jig and plastic co*binations. I’ve also settled on 4-pound test Sufix Nanobraid for extra-long casts and unparalleled sensitivity with and precise control over light lures. Armed with a Shimano Curado BFS, the entire outfit weighs just over 10 ounces—at least several ounces lighter than the wispiest co*bo you’ve ever fished, a virtual quill of a casting co*bo.
Why It Made the Cut
The Big T X-13 integrates some amazing, high-end features into its 13-foot length. Even if you don’t use forward-facing sonar, this rod offers exceptional advantages for “dipping” small lures into precise fish-holding spots, such as between lily pads or right up against a cypress tree.
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Catering to the growing number of crappie anglers who rely on the best fish finders with forward-facing sonar, Jenko Fishing’s Big T X rods create a potent fish-catching system. I prefer the 13-foot X-13 for its ability to get a lure far enough away from the boat to avoid spooking fish, yet still giving me precise control over the lure’s action. Once you’ve determined how and where the lure appears on the sonar screen (approximately 13 feet from the transducer), you’ve already won half the battle and can focus on different jigging cadences that attract and trigger bites, as opposed to constantly searching the screen for your lure. With live sonar fishing, it’s all about repeatability and locking in a reliable pattern fast; this rod helps you do that.
I’ve outfitted the rod with a 6.5-ounce Shimano Curado 70 casting reel, loaded with 6-pound test braided line. For balance, I kept all eight 1/3-ounce counterweights attached to the butt. This is key because, generally, as rod length increases, it beco*es more difficult to control a lure. The weights help offset tip weight, reduce “slop” and thereby produce a more precise presentation. Moreover, the rod’s high modulus graphite blank, with a fast, sensitive tip, adds to the precision. (Last thing you want is a tip that continues wagging and vibrating long after your previous jigging stroke.)
Other excellent rod features include its minimalist carbon fiber grip and extra light carbon fiber nut on the reel seat. The rod is easily powerful enough to hoist larger crappies over the gunwales, so long as you’re spooled with at least 6-pound test. Essentially, this rod will take your vertical live sonar game to a whole other level of awesome.
Why It Made the Cut
The best of the best for throwing light jigs on light line.
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I’ve fished a St. Croix Legend Elite Panfish 6 foot 9 inch LEP69LF for three seasons, reserving it for casting little 1/32- to 1/80-ounce hair jigs with 2-pound test line. You simply won’t find a more sensitive, light, co*fortable, and yet surprisingly powerful spinning rod. It will absolutely increase your catch rates.
If you’re truly serious about casting the tiniest, lightest hair jigs and microplastics on 2-, 3- and 4-pound test line in extreme finesse situations, this rod will provide endless hours of delightful fishing. Unmatched sensitivity co*bined with incredible balance and minimal heft makes this rod the finest ever created for the crappie, panfish, or trout enthusiast. Not surprisingly, it will likely set you back two or three c-notes, but think of it as a lifetime investment.
The best crappie rods are technique specific and the best way to choose a rod is to first decide on how you’ll fish for crappie, which is generally dictated by the time of year.
In spring crappie move shallow and into predictable patterns. It’s the best time to throw a jig or fish a bobber. In summer, fish tend to spread out in deeper water as they chase schools of baitfish. That’s when trolling and spider rigging beco*e the go-to techniques for crappie anglers. Dock shooting is also an excellent technique in the summer. Fall is one of the best times to catch slabs, and anglers catch them with a variety of techniques. Of course, some people will be diehard jig anglers, and others will fish a slip float all year round.
The Ultimate Beginner Crappie Rod
If you’re still not sure which crappie rod is best, the most versatile option is a 7-foot rod with a light power and moderate fast action. With that rod you can cast light jigs, fish bobbers, and even shoot docks. You’ll be able to fish it for all open water seasons.
For most anglers, a 6 foot 6 inch to 7 foot spinning rod with a light to ultralight power hits a lot of sweet spots. Forced to choose just one rod to match a variety of presentations, including casting small jigs or spinners, pitching a slip float rig, or even vertical jigging, I’d settle on a 7-footer. A quality 7-foot rod casts small baits far, picks up slack line quickly, and usually provides enough ‘give’ or cushion in the tip section to set hooks without ripping loose. As you advance into other techniques, such as trolling crankbaits, spider rigging with minnow rigs, or live sonar fishing, longer 9- to 12-foot rods can really elevate your catch rate. None of which touches the frozen water arena, where little 2- and 3-foot rods beco*e standard equipment—should you find yourself staring through a hold in the ice.
Of course, this all depends on the size and type of lure or bait you’re fishing—and what crappies are eating (shad versus micro-invertebrates, for example)— as well as the size of available fish. A #4 or #6 jig hook matches most soft plastics, hook size generally increases in correspondence with jig head weight. It’s not unco*mon to find jigheads with #10 hooks or #2s on the other end of the spectrum. Ice anglers occasionally go even smaller, with jigheads sporting #12 or #14 hooks. For live minnows, anglers typically employ a #1 to #8 Aberdeen style hook, again, depending on bait size. (Remember, too, crappies possess relatively large mouths, allowing for larger hook sizes than their tiny-mouthed sunfish cousins.)
Much of the appeal of pursuing crappies relates to their versatile, often unpredictable natures. In early spring, once water has warmed into the low 50s, you’ll often find fish as shallow as a foot of water, especially around brush, docks, and vegetation. During the spawning season, crappies usually build nests anywhere from 1 to 3 feet of water, occasionally deeper, given a lack of shallow habitat or greater water clarity, as well as predators, such as birds and, sometimes, anglers. In summer, crappies often suspend 2 to 15 feet off bottom, often hovering around brush piles, weedlines, or beneath deep boat docks. After fall turnover, crappies may move even deeper, typically suspending 10 to 30 feet down over water as deep as 50 feet.
While enjoying the sport of crappie fishing isn’t exclusively a function of the dollars you spend on a quality rod and reel, you quickly realize how much more effectively you can present a given lure— and how many more bites you can detect—with the best crappie rods. Consider your favorite way to catch crappies and then invest in the best rod you can afford, whether it’s $100 or $300.
Perhaps for the first time ever, fishing rod manufacturers are building brilliant crappie and panfish-centric rods equal in quality and performance to high-end bass and trout rods. Moreover, we’re seeing more technique and tournament-driven designs that encourage our expansion into new ways of catching fish. That’s exciting. And ultimately, it’s the best way to learn more and catch more and bigger crappies than you ever thought possible.
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