Wired2fish multi-species guru McKeon “Keys” Roberts loves targeting big crappies when they hit the shallows in the spring. He shares a unique lure approach involving jerkbaits and a jig and plastic suspended below a bobber; this system allows Keys to cover water, find active fish, and tease tentative ones with the bobber offering.
TACKLE USED
JERKBAIT SETUP
- LURE – Rapala Ultra Light Minnow
- ROD – St. Croix Legend Elite Spinning Rod, 7′ Light
- REEL – Daiwa Legalis 1000 Spinning Reel
- LINE (Main) – Sufix 832 Braid, color – Low-Vis Green, 8-pound
- LINE (Leader) – Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon, 8-pound
JIG AND BOBBER SETUP
- PLASTIC – 13 Fishing Coconut Crab, color – Radioactive Pickle
- JIG – 13 Fishing The Doug, 1/16-ounce (SOLD OUT)
- ROD – 13 Fishing Fate Steel, 9′ Light
- REEL – 13 Fishing Kalon C 1.0 (replaces Prototype X)
- LINE (Main) – Sufix 832 Braid, color – Ghost, 8-pound
- LINE (Leader) – Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon, 8-pound
Sun, coupled with little to no wind and a good pair of polarized sunglasses, makes searching the shallows fun and productive. Roberts uses micro jerkbaits to pitch around and trigger bites from the biggest and most active crappies. Suspending or slow-sink models come through dead vegetation surprisingly well. He drops anchor when fish are located and will switch up to an insect-imitating micro plastic suspended below a float — this system allows him to keep a bait in their face, which triggers crappies locked onto cover or a bed.
Gear is crucial for both tactics. Roberts uses a shorter rod setup for accurate jerkbait pitch casting around cover and a much longer rod for dangling bait in their face. The longer rod also excels at extracting fish vertically out of the cover instead of through it, resulting in a better hook-to-land ratio. He prefers a bright-colored braid for each tactic, which aids in bite detection with the low stretch and power to extract crappies from heavy cover.
BOAT AND MOTOR
- BOAT – Lund 1650 Rebel XL Tiller, Gunmetal Grey
- ENGINE – Mercury FourStroke 60hp Command Thrust Tiller
- PROP – Mercury Elite Series SpitFire X7 Propeller
- TILLER HANDLE – Mercury Tiller Handle 40-115hp
BOAT CONTROL (TROLLING MOTORS AND SHALLOW WATER ANCHOR)
- BOW MOUNT TROLLING MOTOR – Minn Kota Ultrex 80/MSI/IP Trolling Motor w/i-Pilot Link Bluetooth – 24v-80lb
- SHALLOW WATER ANCHOR – Minn Kota Talon, 8-foot
FISH FINDERS
- ELECTRONICS – Humminbird HELIX 10 MEGA SI+ CHIRP GPS G4N
- MAPPING – LakeMaster Plus
- MOUNT – T-H Marine KVD Kong Electronics Mount
BATTERIES AND CHARGER
- BATTERIES – Dakota Lithium 12v-54Ah Deep Cycle
- ONBOARD CHARGER – Minn Kota MK-345PC Precision On-Board Charger 3 Bank 15 Amps
OTHER GEAR
- SUNGLASSES – Costa Del Mar Fantail Pro
- SHIRT – HUK Vented Pursuit Hoodie
- SHORTS – HUK NXTLVL 10.5
- SHOES – HUK Brewster
- NET – Frabill Conservation PLD Net
