WHAT A CRAPPIE !!!
Our friend, Wilmer Sanford, from Collins, MS sent us this
picture of a great big crappie he caught in February,
2008 on Barnett Reservoir in Jackson, MS. The fish was
18-3/8 inches long 7-1/2 inches deep and had 2-1/4
inch shoulders. Weighed 3-3/4 pounds. Wilmer says he
caught it on a MOTOR OIL 2 inch PUDDLE JUMPER.
He says this "I have used PUDDLE JUMPERS since the
late 79's and it produces 80% of crappie catches. Some
of the colors I use are milky blue ice, motor oil, root beer
glitter, smoke glitter, chartreuse and black." He goes on
to say he would like to see more stores carry the lure so
more people would have a chance to use them.
Our friend, Wilmer Sanford, from Collins, MS sent us this
picture of a great big crappie he caught in February,
2008 on Barnett Reservoir in Jackson, MS. The fish was
18-3/8 inches long 7-1/2 inches deep and had 2-1/4
inch shoulders. Weighed 3-3/4 pounds. Wilmer says he
caught it on a MOTOR OIL 2 inch PUDDLE JUMPER.
He says this "I have used PUDDLE JUMPERS since the
late 79's and it produces 80% of crappie catches. Some
of the colors I use are milky blue ice, motor oil, root beer
glitter, smoke glitter, chartreuse and black." He goes on
to say he would like to see more stores carry the lure so
more people would have a chance to use them.
| The OZARKFISHING Connection |
If you have a picture to share we would like to put it on our site. Just
email or mail us a picture and tell your story. Good fishing.
ozarkfishing@hotmail.com
" May your drag always be smooth"
email or mail us a picture and tell your story. Good fishing.
ozarkfishing@hotmail.com
" May your drag always be smooth"
A real neat article from Ned Kehde
Ned sent me this. It tells the history about a lot of lures that are still popular today. I knew a little bit about the
history of these guys and the PUDDLE JUMPER but did not know about their role in developing so many of the
lures and techniques used today. This article is full of rich history and ideas on how to catch fish. I hope you enjoy
this article and I thank Ned for sending it to me. Bill Collins
In the minds of most folks in the angling world, eastern Kansas is considered one of
the world's premiere catfishing capitals. Such thinking is substantiated by the fact it's
where the world-record flathead catfish, weighing 123 pounds, was caught.
It's a rare soul, however, who thinks of eastern Kansas as being the wellspring of
finesse tactics for largemouth bass. Most folks deem Southern California as the
birthplace of finesse and pinpoint its genesis as beginning in the late 1970s and early
1980s.
It all started, however, in the late 1950s at Fincke's Tackle Shop in Kansas City and was
spearheaded by Chuck Wood, who became the first maestro of finesse. During his
nearly 30-year infatuation with finding ways to catch largemouth, Wood created the
Beetle, Beetle Spin, Texas-rig jigworm, and Puddle Jumper. In addition, he devised a
bevy of modifications to other lures.
Wood's efforts were supplemented by Ted Green at MarLynn Lure Company in nearby
Blue Springs, Missouri, where the first jigworm was created in 1956. Moreover, the
Hibdon clan at the Lake of the Ozarks, which was a relatively short trip from Kansas City,
was in the initial throes of developing their finesse tactics for catching largemouth bass.
And a short distance to the south of Kansas City in Amsterdam, Missouri, Virgil Ward
began his Bass Buster Lure Company in 1955. In essence, the simultaneous confluence
of Wood, Ward, Hibdons and Green made Kansas City the epicenter of finesse.
Wood primarily plied small waterways, and the countryside of eastern Kansas is graced
with scores of small public and private reservoirs, ranging in size from a few acres to
more than 400 acres. Some of them contain prodigious numbers of largemouth bass,
along with a significant quantity of lunkers; for example, Wood was known to land as
many as a hundred bass a day, and his biggest largemouth weighed 10 pounds, three
ounces.
One of Wood's favorite methods for inveigling the bass that abided in these small
waters was to use a medium-action spinning outfit festooned with an 1/8-ounce black
marabou jig and black pork eel, which Wood customized so that it was a thin three-inch
strip of pork that undulated and gyrated with the slightest twitch of his wrist.
Another favorite was the jigworm, and it was from the nubbins of his mutilated Creme
plastic worms that Wood's Beetle and Beetle Spin eventually evolved.
Even though Wood caught bass galore on jigworms and black jig combos, he perpetually
tinkered with other lures and methods in hopes of expanding his finesse repertoire and
catching more and bigger bass. For instance, he was always intrigued with jig-spinners,
and once upon a time, he even attached a jig-spinner to a small Pico Perch, and even
with this bizarre combination, he waylaid the bass.
Besides his fondness for the Beetle Spin, he liked to wield small spinnerbaits, and a
3/16-ounce single-spin was his favorite.
Dyed-in-the-wool California-style finesse anglers wouldn't classify Wood's fondness for
little spinnerbaits and his peculiar renditions of a Pico Perch as examples of finesse
tactics; they maintain that finesse fishing is putting a small lure affixed to a light line into
30 and 60 feet of water. Of course, Wood couldn't probe 30 feet of water because the
waters he fished rarely reached that depth. But Guido Hibdon, the great shallow-water
finesse angler from the Lake of the Ozarks, would salute Wood as a preeminent tactician
of finesse.
No matter what lure Wood elected to wield, he had no piscatorial peers in northeastern
Kansas. In fact, it is often speculated that Wood caught more bass from Kansas waters
than any angler ever has caught, and conjecture has it that no one is likely to surpass
him.
Across the years, a few other anglers have found that Wood's small lures and finesse
tactics are as fruitful on big waterways as they are small waters. For example, during the
1960s Wood taught two Kansas City area high-school students about the art of finesse
fishing for largemouth bass, and those lessons paid grand dividends: Drew Reese,
using two of Wood's finesse techniques, participated in the first Bass Master Classic
and Dwight Keefer competed in the third one.
Initially, Vigil Ward and Bass Buster Lure Company were reluctant to manufacture and
merchandise Wood's Beetle, contending that it wouldn't be an effective lure in big
waters. But during a big-water outing with Ward, Wood showed Ward the errors in his
thinking, and ultimately the Beetle became Bass Buster's best selling lure. Of course, a
small black marabou jig, similar to one that Wood often employed, became another Bass
Buster mainstay.
Despite the never-ending effectiveness of Wood's tactics, they have never captured the
fancy of most bass anglers - especially those anglers who ply the tournament circuits. In
fact, some bass anglers pejoratively refer to finesse lures and methods as belonging to
the realm of sissies. Furthermore, as power fishing became the primary motif of the
majority of tournament anglers in the 1980s and 1990s, the employment of finesse tactics
by serious recreational anglers declined - even in eastern Kansas.
Another GREAT letter
We have been compiling techniques from people who fish for crappie a lot. These guys know how
to catch them. I have asked them to drop me ideas they think are keys to being successful in
consistently catching crappie so I can share them with others. What impresses me about these
people is their willingness to share with others their techniques and ideas. They don’t have that
“secret’ lure syndrome or “secret” syndrome spot. They want everyone to have the fun they are
having. Bill at ofc
Update: We just got word from Bob's wife that he passed away on August 2, 2010. He was a
great guy and we appreciate his willingness to share his techniques with us. He loved life and the
time he spent on the water was special to him. His favorite lake was about 85 miles away from his
home and he made the trip regularly.
Techniques of Bob Mitchell
Bob Mitchell lives in Manvel Texas. I got a great letter from him and I want to pass along some key
points he shares on how to catch crappie.
Direct quote: “ the Puddle Jumper is the most versatile jig I have ever used. I have specialized in
crappie fishing for more than 25 years and Puddle Jumper is by far the most productive of the
many lures I have previously used.”
1. Uses 7-7-1/2 ultra lite to lite rods and light weight open face spinning reels.
2. Light line generally 6-8 lbs.
3. Ties in a swivel (#6, 8, 10) about 18 inches above the lure to help prevent line twist.
4. Measure and mark your rod so you can “measure” the amount of line going out.
5. When fishing vertical, he sets his drag real light and pulls the line off 1-2 feet at a time so he
knows how deep his lure is.
6. In shallow water (4-6 feet) he uses a slip cork.
7. Let the lure do the work. “Impart little effort to the rod because the natural darting action and
buoyancy of the Puddle Jumper will impart all the action needed to attract strikes.“
“When people are fishing around me and see me catching fish and they are not they usually ask
me if I am using minnows. My rely is “what color of minnow are you using”. When they take that in
and absorb it, I tell them Puddle Jumpers are my only chose and I didn’t even know they still
manufactured minnows. Having said that I share my precious stash of Puddle Jumpers with them
and a suggestion or two if they ask.”
We have been compiling techniques from people who fish for crappie a lot. These guys know how
to catch them. I have asked them to drop me ideas they think are keys to being successful in
consistently catching crappie so I can share them with others. What impresses me about these
people is their willingness to share with others their techniques and ideas. They don’t have that
“secret’ lure syndrome or “secret” syndrome spot. They want everyone to have the fun they are
having. Bill at ofc
Update: We just got word from Bob's wife that he passed away on August 2, 2010. He was a
great guy and we appreciate his willingness to share his techniques with us. He loved life and the
time he spent on the water was special to him. His favorite lake was about 85 miles away from his
home and he made the trip regularly.
Techniques of Bob Mitchell
Bob Mitchell lives in Manvel Texas. I got a great letter from him and I want to pass along some key
points he shares on how to catch crappie.
Direct quote: “ the Puddle Jumper is the most versatile jig I have ever used. I have specialized in
crappie fishing for more than 25 years and Puddle Jumper is by far the most productive of the
many lures I have previously used.”
1. Uses 7-7-1/2 ultra lite to lite rods and light weight open face spinning reels.
2. Light line generally 6-8 lbs.
3. Ties in a swivel (#6, 8, 10) about 18 inches above the lure to help prevent line twist.
4. Measure and mark your rod so you can “measure” the amount of line going out.
5. When fishing vertical, he sets his drag real light and pulls the line off 1-2 feet at a time so he
knows how deep his lure is.
6. In shallow water (4-6 feet) he uses a slip cork.
7. Let the lure do the work. “Impart little effort to the rod because the natural darting action and
buoyancy of the Puddle Jumper will impart all the action needed to attract strikes.“
“When people are fishing around me and see me catching fish and they are not they usually ask
me if I am using minnows. My rely is “what color of minnow are you using”. When they take that in
and absorb it, I tell them Puddle Jumpers are my only chose and I didn’t even know they still
manufactured minnows. Having said that I share my precious stash of Puddle Jumpers with them
and a suggestion or two if they ask.”