Set line bug presentations?

My last couple outings it was obvious the fish have transitioned to bugs.
Putting out set lines when they’re eating minnows is pretty obvious… but what about when they’re on bug patterns? In my experience it’s pretty infrequent/rare they will take a jig & waxie sitting dead still. Has anyone found anything that works?

I will always keep a fat head down. Even if they are on bugs I always still get them on fat heads

I also always run a minnow on my bobber/deadstick line when pan fishing. Some nights both lines are running faster than I can keep up.

My son seems to catch fish on a tungsten and waxie while the rod sits in the holder … unwatched no less!

I am not that lucky … I have to set the hook.

Same I’ll always use a crappie minnow or fathead. Very often I will do a surf n turf and add a couple red eurolarvae with the minnow. That’s my favorite.

lindyrig79 wrote:

Same I’ll always use a crappie minnow or fathead. Very often I will do a surf n turf and add a couple red eurolarvae with the minnow. That’s my favorite.

surf n turf

Might have to steal that one.

Not to derail your thread sipple but to the guys saying fatheads. I seem to not have any luck with crappies on them, now shiners they like.

John Rasmussen wrote:

Not to derail your thread sipple but to the guys saying fatheads. I seem to not have any luck with crappies on them, now shiners they like.

I don’t use crappie minnows. I only really use fat heads. Bigger crappies love them

Interesting, my experience is from open water. We had both and would not get bites on the fats but they would eat the crappie minnows like candy. Will have to experiment some on this I guess.

I found a bait shop that has wigglers. Will be throwing them down the hole my next time out. Will report back.

phishingruven wrote:

I found a bait shop that has wigglers.

Are we talking spikes? Never heard the term wigglers before.

I have had several times on Vermillion in the winter when the fish are just plump full of larvae and bugs and fatheads outproduce everything by a mile. I also feel like running bigger fatheads even shiners and small suckers on set lines produce the biggest crappies from me and weed out all of the smaller fish.

Aboxy17 wrote:

I have had several times on Vermillion in the winter when the fish are just plump full of larvae and bugs and fatheads outproduce everything by a mile. I also feel like running bigger fatheads even shiners and small suckers on set lines produce the biggest <em class=”ido-tag-em”>crappies from me and weed out all of the smaller fish.

Bingo. I don’t want 7 inch crappies

John Rasmussen wrote:

Interesting, my experience is from open water. We had both and would not get bites on the fats but they would eat the <em class=”ido-tag-em”>crappie minnows like candy. Will have to experiment some on this I guess.

Likely crappies under 9 10 inches ? I try to weed them out and rig so they don’t bite

They were probably 10 inchers with some 11’s mixed in. I have no problem filleting 10 inchers.

John Rasmussen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>phishingruven wrote:</div>
I found a bait shop that has wigglers.

Are we talking spikes? Never heard the term wigglers before.

Mayfly larvae

Wigglers

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Love set lines, they can save the trip and have tried bugs on set lines with no success, that said I am never right next to my set, when a crappie grabs a minnow esp. a fathead or shiner it moves with it, it has a big meal and wants to get it away from the competition a bug is more like a Fritto it will take it and be likely to spit it after a few seconds. Definetly lakes where specky prefers the bug get that set line out, worst case you catch a walleye.

It was all minnow this afternoon and early evening where we were. We caught crappies on jig and minnow. I could see them coming through on the Vex and would raise my jig and waxie up to greet them. Unlike most other trips this winter … nothing doing.

One smaller fish on a deadstick. The two of us put our tungsten and waxies aside for a small jig and minnow. Most of the keepers were not a subtle bite (for a change). They were crushing our lures about 5 feet up off a 12 foot deep spot.

We kept 8 nice crappies 10 – 12.5 inches … that is really all I will keep on the small little lake (pond) we were on this PM. Walked out at dusk/dark.

got out today. couldn’t keep wigglers on the hook down the hole. I caught perch on waxies, minnows(blues and perch) and wigglers. Wigglers were the preferred bait hands down. Wish i would have got 10 dozen instead of 2. Lots of sorting, but it was sooo much fun just catching lots of fish.

Wiggles are freshwater shrimp. Didn’t work very well for me.

there’s also red wrigglers which are just red angle worms.

Wigglers are mayfly larvae. At least thats what most people know wigglers as.