Is It Time To Start Spider-Rigging?

That’s a funny question because to a lot of crappie fishermen the question is more like “When is it not the time to spider rig?” Maybe we should agree on what we’re talking about before we start talking about spider-rigging because the name of this tactic — which probably accounts for more crappie fish-fries than any other — can be a bit misleading.

If you’re a newcomer to the sport and you get out on your local lake and see a boat with rods sticking out in all directions, you’re going to assume that guy is spider-rigging. The name comes from the look of the boat from above — a big-bodied bug with a multitude of spindly legs sticking out in all directions.

The key to what the fisherman in the boat is doing is where his bait is located. If his bait is straight down in the water, directly under the rod tip, then he’s spider-rigging — assuming he has more rods than can be easily counted.

Over the years, true spider-rigging has given way to tight-line trolling. That’s due in part to local regulations that limit the number of rods per angler per boat. Anglers had to choose which three or four rods they wanted to keep and invariably chose the three out in front of the boat because those rods always caught the most fish anyway.

I couldn’t tell you who started the tight-line trolling craze, but I can tell you who made it famous — two guys from the Reelfoot Lake area in Tennessee — Ronnie Capps and Steve Coleman. They have their own rod design made by B’n’M Poles, and a commercially packaged version of their famous minnow rig is also offered through B’n’M for those who want to avoid the trouble of retying while on the water.

“This thing is so much simpler and quicker to tie on than starting from scratch,” said Capps. “There’s no measuring or fumbling around on a rocking boat. Just tie the line to the swivel, unroll it and you’re back in business.”

According to Capps and his partner Steve Coleman, the key to slow vertical trolling is putting the bait right in the fish’s face and being able to detect a bite from the often light-biting winter crappie.

“I want everything as still as possible,” said Capps. “There needs to be nothing to keep me from seeing that bite.”

So with crappie hanging out in the deepest depths of the year, is it time to start spider-rigging? Absolutely.

Phillip Gentry
pgentry6@bellsouth.net