THE BOAT

The biggest problems when fishing for tightly schooling fish such as crappies are wind and current. Therefore, the boat design is very important. The best design for crappie fishing (or any other jig fishing applications) is a John Boat. (see diagram) This style of boat has low sides and a blunt point at the bow. The lower profile of the sides makes it more wind resistant, and the blunt bow with an electric trolling motor makes it very controllable. Generally, these boats are made of aluminum, fibreglass, and ADS plastic (composit), and are available in 12ft to 16 ft lengths.

My choice as the best commercially available boat for crappie fishing is an ABS compost mini bass boat made by Sun Dolphin (model Pro 120). This 11ft 3 in. boat comes fully rigged, and handles up to a 15 hp motor. It has superior manoeverability in windy and strong current situations.

Keep in mind that this style of boat is more suited to smaller lakes and rivers. Large waves will prevent you from running the boat at higher speeds. Fiberglass bass boats are also excellent crappie boats, with the larger models better suited for rougher waters.

SONAR

A good quality LCR sonar unit is one of the most important piece of equipment you will need for crappie fishing., Crappies are found in large tight schools during the summer, and can change locations very quickly, and being a few feet away can result in catching few or no fish. Without a sonar, you really have no idea of the bottom structure. You might want to find crappies on a deep weed line or drop off and without a sonar you will have a difficult time even finding the spot you intend to fish.

Crappies are also a suspending fish and can be found from one to fifteen feet off the bottom, making it important to fish the right depth. Your sonar is your vision under water, but it can take some time getting used to. Many things that might appear erroneously to be fish are made visible by a good unit, such as floating debris, weeds, current, thermoclines, and even overhangs. The best way to familiarize yourself with what a real fish looks like on your unit is to pay close attention to what markings you observe prior to a hookup.

You will need to invest $300 - $350 for a relatively good LCR sonar, and $600 to $700 for a top of the line model. I recommend the BOTTOM LINE products. Take a look at their "Tournament Leader SF3" model. This little baby does a great job on all types of crappie locations. Whichever one you choose, a good sonar can make the difference between a no crappie day and a great crappie day. DON'T LEAVE HOME WITH OUT IT.

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