“Wintertime Sauger, Crappie and Bass in Indiana with Jerry Cary, Jr., and Mister Twister Lures”

Part 2: Wintertime Crappie: How to Catch Them

Editor’s Note: Jerry Cary Jr. from Indianapolis, Indiana, is a multi-species fisherman. “I fish for sauger, crappie and bass. And at this time of year in November and December, sauger fishing is my top priority.”

Question: Jerry, how are you catching your wintertime crappie?

Cary: I fish a lot of the lakes in the Indianapolis area for crappie. Some of my favorites include Patoka Lake in Birdseye, Indiana, and Lake Monroe in Bloomington, as well as other lakes around Indianapolis.

Question: Where are you finding your crappie during the pre-spawn?

Cary: The crappie usually will be holding in about 15-20 feet of water right on the edges of the creek channels. To catch these fish, I spider rig (use a multi-pole trolling tactic). We can troll three poles per person, so I use a double-dropper rig that consists of a lead on the bottom and two drop lines coming off of the mainline with jigs and Mister Twister Curly Tail Grubs. I troll just fast enough to make the tails on the Curly Tail Grubs move.

Question: What Curly Tail Grubs seem to be best for you?

Cary: I like a 1/32-ounce jig with a pink jighead and a white Curly Tail Grub. If the wind’s blowing a lot on the lake I’m fishing, I’ll move my jighead up to 1/16-ounce, and I’ll be using those 2-inch Curly Tail Grubs. I usually use either Spiderwire or Fireline for my main line. Then I use fluorocarbon leader down to my dropper lines and have 4-inch fluorocarbon dropper lines in 6-pound test. That way if I get hung-up on brush, I can just break the leader.

I have my weight on the bottom. Then I come up 12 inches and tie-on one barrel swivel and a leader with a Curly Tail Grub on a jighead. Next I have a second barrel swivel 12 inches from the bottom jig and tie another swivel with a leader and a Curly Tail Grub on the jig. This way, when I feel my weight hit the bottom, I know that my first jig is 12 inches from the bottom, and my second jig is 24 inches from the bottom.

If I’m using my pole to measure, I can put the lead on the butt end of the pole and hold my line steady. I’ll put my line in the water and keep the tip of my pole about an inch above the water. I then know my sinker’s at 10 feet, because I’m using a 10-foot pole and my bottom jig is at 9 feet and my second jig at 8 feet. This way, I can know in what depth of water I’m trolling. I use Gander Mountain or Zebco crappie poles, and I’ve also found that old fly rods work very effectively.

Question: How fast are you moving when you’re trolling?

Cary: I’m trolling just about as slowly as I can go.

Question: What size crappie are you catching?

Cary: I’m catching crappie that are 8-inches to as much as 14-inches long.

Question: How many crappie do you usually catch in the winter?

Cary: I’m a fair-weather crappie fisherman. If the crappie are biting, I’ll stay with them, but if they’re not, I’ll head to the house. I’ve caught as many as 60 or 70 crappie in only a few hours, and I know if I spend all day crappie fishing, I should be able to catch and release a few hundred. Catching crappie up here is actually pretty easy in the winter months.