LOGAN MARTIN LAKE
Long-line trolling is a specialty of Joe Thomas, a Logan Martin crappie guide from Pell City. Thomas is a big fan of this type of fishing because it allows him to put his clients on Logan Martin crappie during the pre-spawn, spawn and even during the post-spawn before fish move deep for the summer.

March and early April on Logan Martin finds the fish holding in open water on one of two patterns. “Fish will either be tight to cover or scattered out in open water,” the guide explained. “Long-line trolling is a great tactic to catch fish either way.”

By this time of year, with water temperatures reaching into the low 50s, Thomas said that crappie have moved shoreward from the wintertime deep-water haunts and toward the mouths of creeks. Ordinarily the fish follow some type of edge in from the main lake. Once they reach suitable water, they await the proper water temperatures to invade shallow flats and coves to begin the spawn. Stumpfields or submerged brushpiles in 10 to 12 feet of water are where crappie hold during this pre-spawn.

To reach these fish Thomas fans rods across the transom of the boat and may use a couple of longer rods from the front end of the boat. The key is to stagger the rods’ lengths, ranging from 9 to 12 feet in length, so that crossing of lines trolled back behind the boat is minimized.

“A number of long, limber trolling rods are made for this type of fishing,” Russ Bailey commented, “and I’ve used a bunch of them -- but I prefer to use the B ‘n’ M Poles’ trolling rods for this type of fishing.” (Bailey did point out that B ‘n’ M sponsors his TV show.)

The rods are outfitted with small lightweight spinning reels spooled with Stren Hi-Vis Gold 6-pound-test line. “It’s important to be able to see the line so you know they’re running straight behind the boat,” guide Joe Thomas chimed in.

Tied to each line is a single 1/16-ounce jighead with a 1 1/2- to 2-inch trailer. Soft-plastic baits come in a myriad of styles, but it is important that the bait have some type of swimming action so that it resembles a baitfish moving through the water.

Two of Thomas’ favorites are the Charlie Brewer grubs and sliders. Recently Thomas was introduced to the Brewer “Charlie Bees,” which incorporate a tiny willow leaf spinner blade attached to a jighead with a paddle tail body. The blade adds flash that can get more fish in the boat on bluebird days just after a cold front has moved through.

Veteran anglers can attest that it’s usually the little things, like adding a bit of flash to a bait or changing from a heavier 1/16-ounce jig to a lighter 1/32-ounce when the fish move up in the water column, that spell the difference between a good day and a so-so day. That’s especially true when weather and water conditions are less than ideal.

Pulling eight or more rods while keeping track of lines and baits can be a daunting task -- especially where hanging up on stumps or brushpiles is a common occurrence. Thomas employs a rather ingenious method of keeping track of which line has what bait attached to it. And with his system, it also helps to have replacement baits easily at hand.