"Old School" Crappie Fishing Pole Catches More Crappie...

Your crappie fishing pole can make a big difference in your success out crappie fishing.

Choose wisely, and catch more crappie than ever. Choose poorly, and you could be in for a frustrating fishing trip. (We've all had those!)

Before I start in with the tips...I always start by heading to the local bait shop and talking to some of the older fishermen, find out what poles they use.

Here are some general crappie pole selection tips you should use...along with fishing line and rig recommendations.

You want a "limber" crappie pole for best results in most situations. Limber rods are better suited to catch the delicate "paper mouths". (A popular nickname for crappie due to their delicate mouths.)

At first glance these are typically only about 2 1/2 feet long, and they have a small reel at the base of the rod. But when you swing them through the air like a sword, they immediately expand into a 10' pole, fully extended!

For the hook, try a #6 long shank at the end of your line. Possibly also a split shot about 6" above the hook.

Then, slap a minnow on there and cast out. Vertical crappie fishing at it's best.

I've had some excellent result with these long crappie jiggin' poles...and so have many others. Some old crappie fishermen won't use anything else.

You can also try old fashioned "cane poles...telescopic jigging poles...and even some graphite rods at this 10' length. 10' seems to be the "sweet spot" for catching crappie, as far as poles are concerned.

The best crappie rod for jigging is definately the telescopic pole. For certain brands, the reels are actually built into the handle of the rod.

Using these longer style poles give many advantages to the crappie fisherman: the length of the rod allows you to veritcal fish over heavy cover...where crappie like to hang out.

Trolling? You can have several of these rods out, and cover more area in the water because of theire length.

You'll need to get your bait into some tight spots to get to the largest crappie schools. Getting your bait into the holes under weed beds and other structure will give you best results. You can hit all these spots and more with a long crappie pole.

Another benefit is that you won't get hung up as much, and will save time without having to snap your line and re-reg everything. Just extend over and past the obstacles/weeds/debris and vertial fish just over on the other side.

In the end, long crappie poles will give you much better results... highly recommended! Enjoy!