Hot Bites

Dabbling for crappies

Darl Black

POSTED: May 10, 2010

Save | Print | Email | Read comments | Post a comment

As a youngster fishing with my dad in our boat during the spring on Pymatuning Reservoir, I would see fishermen wading among the log jams in the backs of bays on the northern end of the lake. Most of them were using fly rods to dip live minnows in any open pocket amid a floating sea of wood.

Dad would never let me try it. “You are too young, and it’s too dangerous,” he said. “You might unexpectedly step into a hole and go over your head.”

When I reached high school and was driving – and didn’t have that constant parental supervision – I finally tried it. It was in the late 1960s when newly constructed Shenango Reservoir was filling. A high-school buddy and I decided wading a backwater slough (Little Lackawanna Creek, I believe was the name) at Big Bend was the perfect way to fish for spring crappies. But it turned into one of those life lessons.

Wading perhaps 10 feet from shore, I went to take one more step when the bottom slid out from under me. Suddenly I found myself in water over my head, gulping down Shenango River water. I had come too close to the submerged feeder creek channel and the weakened bank simply gave way. When I surfaced, my buddy pulled me to shore with a pole, but my fishing rod was lost.

Now some adults might say the moral of this incident is to listen to your parents. But realistically, I see the lesson as threefold: never go wading without a staff to probe each step; never fish alone; and wear a floatation device when wading. That said, let’s get on with the fishing!

On the aforementioned day, I didn’t catch any springtime crappies by dipping a jig beside cover, but I’ve certainly done it many times since, both by wading and from a boat. I advise using a boat whenever possible. In southeastern states they call it “dabbling” and in south-central states they call it “vertical jigging.” In other areas of the country, it’s simply “dipping.” Call it what you will, the basic technique is the same.

Anytime crappies are hugging visible cover, a long rod is used to quietly lower a small jig beside stumps, logs, brush piles, or dock posts. Dabbling allows you to drop the bait into tight quarters with accuracy. Either gently quiver the rod tip while keeping the jig in position, or use the rod tip to swim the jig slowly around the cover. When the angler detects a hit, simply lift the rod straight up to set the hook and get the fish out of the cover.

I don’t consider fly rods the most efficient equipment to use for dabbling. Fly rods are too soft to fish 1/16- to 3/16-ounce jigs successfully, set the hook, lift the fish, and swing it to the angler. Those '50s and '60s anglers at Pymatuning were using fly rods because there was no other long, lightweight fishing rod on the market back then. That’s not the case today.

Certain rod companies offer rods specifically designed for dipping crappie jigs. (Check out B’n’M Poles and Quantum’s Todd Huckabee Signature Series.) The tip must be sensitive enough to feel a bite and flexible enough not to break 8-pound line on the hookset. Yet the lower portion of the rod must have enough backbone to actually lift the fish and control it. Rod length ranges from 8 to 11 feet. Most of these rods are built for spinning reels although some use casting reels.

The practical bait for dabbling or dipping, of course, is a jig. Some fishermen tip the jig with a live minnow, but a minnow can easily be torn off by a strike or simply fall off by dipping the bait repeatedly. When crappies are this shallow, they are most likely aggressive enough that the addition of a minnow as a teaser is not needed.

Because dabbling involves minimal movement of the lure, subtle jigs are more productive than action-tail twister or thumper jigs. Tube bodies are extremely good choices as well as flat or beaver tail soft bodies. Hand-tied hair or feather jigs are excellent choices as well. You want a jig whose tail quivers with the slightest movement of the rod tip.

Also, when selecting a leadhead for dipping, choose one that is balanced so it will hang horizontally. Round or ball heads do not hang horizontally as well as minnow-shaped heads. I’m particularly fond of Crappie Pro Jigheads (CrappiePro.com).

On most lakes in Pennsylvania, significant numbers of crappies will be very shallow during May and early June – the spawn and post-spawn period. This is when dabbling is most effective. But on some waters, there will be crappies holding on visible cover throughout the summer as well – particularly dingy water reservoirs with generous amounts of shallow wood cover near deep water.

The advantages of dipping or dabbling over casting are several: dabbling is more accurate than casting; because you are in direct control of the jig from above, there will be fewer snagged baits, and when you do snag a jig it’s easier to get it loose; stealth – it’s a quieter presentation than the splash associated with casting; and offers a more secure hookset because you are lifting straight up with the force of a long rod.

In the shallowest water, it’s a good idea to use a small bobber or float. The bobber allows the angler to make short pitches to cover in water too shallow to position a boat; that is, the rod tip is not directly above the jig. A float holds the jig above the bottom debris in water that may be only 24 inches deep.

Of course, you can wade-fish the shallows, dipping the jig or jig-and-bobber as you go. However, if you choose to wade, be sure to watch your step.