I do different than John F and I'll let him tell about his Mr Crappie pole.
I usually use a 1/64 or 1/32 oz jig type hook. I like them because I get less deep hooked fish than I do with regular hooks. I occasionally will use a bobber but usually just cast it out and bounce it off the bottom as I do a stop and go retrieve.
Right now I am using a casting bubble like Shorty uses. I like it because it gives me plenty of weight to cast anywhere I want because the light weight jig heads by themselves don't cast very far.
If the bite gets tough I will just go with a straight jig head with no swivel or anything. But if they are biting good the casting bubble gives me lots more options because of the added casting distance and its ability to bounce the jig off the bottom instead of dragging it along. If they are biting really good I can just cast and retrieve with the casting bubble making a wake ahead of the bait trailing 18" behind. The wake of the bubble will alert the fish then they get the bait behind it. But if the fish are spooky and don't want to bite that seems to be too much action and scares them away. Then I go with a quieter approach with just the jig head tied directly or letting the jig drop down below the casting bubble in a stop and go.
In the past I have had real good luck with the smallest size crank baits for catching BG. Bass pattern works good. But this year I have about exclusively used a jig head tipped with a small bait. I like the Gulp Waxies in both chartreuse and white. I have some pink Gulp maggots that also work good but they do not stay on the hook nearly as well as the waxies. They seem to be made of a softer foam. I also use just a small pinch of the Gulp imitation worms. Sometimes they will work if I am not getting the bites I want with the waxies. I also use various small bits of plastic worm or whatever I find in the tackle box. If the BG are biting, it does not make a lot of difference. If the bite is tougher then I have to experiment, but the Gulp waxies are hard to beat. I can often catch ten fish before I loose the bait and have to replace it. When I used to use real worms it was re-bait the hook almost every cast.
The Gulp Alive waxies are not carried locally. I have to order them on line. Wally world caries several of the gulp products, but not the waxies.
Last edited by snrub; 11/17/17 05:22 PM.
