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We've had Dan "The Beard" Langston on Target Crappie a few times and I love every convo we get to have. Dan runs River Bottom Boys Guide Service in northeast TX and is one of the most technical dudes in the crappie world. I picked his brain on a few hot crappie topics to get his 2c. Here's Dan:
Is paying attention to line size overrated or underrated in crappie fishing, especially during summer?
> "Underrated.
> "The water is less dense, there are more microorganisms and the fish can see better.
> "If I had my choice while guiding this time of year, I'd be using 2-lb fluoro, but I can't really hand that to clients. The fish are extremely finicky.
> "Anything I can do to present the bait in the most natural way possible will get me more bites. That means downsizing the line and getting rid of extra weight above the bait.
> "Lately I haven't even been able to make them eat jigs. I've had to fish minnows, which is something I don't like doing. I always have minnows in the boat, but we've had to use a lot of them lately."
Follow-up: What line, jighead and presentation would you use if you were fishing by yourself?
> "If I was able to cast to the fish, that's what I would do. I'd use 2-lb fluoro with a 1/64- or 1/32-oz jighead, stay away from the fish and cast to them.
> "[If long-poling] I've been using a 13.5' rod. The fish haven't been very spooky, so I've been going down to 4- or 6-lb fluoro and almost running a dropshot rig straight down to them."
Follow-up: Is there a particular fluorocarbon you prefer?
> "If I'm using 6-lb fluoro, I love K9 [line]. It seems extremely strong for 6-lb line and has almost zero memory. It fishes like a leader material.
> "For 2-lb line, I've been using Daiwa J-Fluoro [or] Seaguar [IceX]."
Are super-stiff rods for long-pole fishing overrated or underrated?
> "Overrated.
> "When I say a super-stiff rod, I'm thinking a rod that feels like a broomstick.
> "With a light-biting crappie, a super-stiff rod allows you to feel the bite really well. But most of the fish we're catching right now are barely hooked inside the front lip.
> "A super-stiff rod doesn't allow enough bend at the tip for a sharp, light-wire hook to penetrate properly on a fish that is barely holding the bait.
> "When you lift with that stiff rod, you're more likely to pull the hook out than you are to make a soft lifting hookset and use the leverage of the long rod.
> "I still want the rod to have some backbone, but I want the tip to be [light enough] for this time of year."
Really light, whip 6-8' spinning rods for casting to crappie – overrated or underrated?
> "A really whippy rod is overrated.
> "The fish are still big and healthy this time of year. They might not be as heavy as they were a few months ago, but I still need the rod to handle the fish and get it out of cover.
> "I want the rod light enough to make a good hookset, but if it's extremely whippy, the rod won't have enough power when the fish takes off after the initial hookset.
> "That's especially true with the black crappie I've been chasing. They're going to get you into the trees [and brushpile].
> "You have a split second to get that fish moving. I need the rod to be soft at the tip when the fish bites, but then it needs enough backbone for me to lift and bring that fish out of the cover."
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