Steve and David White have their own ideas about the equipment needed for catching crappie on crankbaits and extending their reach by using planer boards.
They’ve combined that with advice from some of the other top crappie fishermen in the South to come up with a pretty detailed list of what you’ll need.
For cranking, they choose 8-foot, medium-action Cabella’s Downrigger or St. Croix Eyecon trolling rods. They are sturdy and have a good feel with the crankbaits (and planers) attached.
Their reel of choice is usually the Abu Garcia 6500 LC (the LC stands for line counter). Knowing how much line you have out is a critical element to keeping lures at the proper depth.
Bandit 200 series and Berkley Flicker shad crankbaits in colors including green-and-white, blue-and-white, chartreuse-and-black, and pink are favorites.
They use softer colors on dark days and bright, shiny colors on bright days.
You’ll almost always find Berkley XT 10-pound test on all their reels.
There are several models of planer boards on the market. The Whites prefer the Off Shore Tackle OR-12, which pull harder than smaller boards and get the lures farther out from the boat. They also handle multiple crankbaits well.
And they are American made.
The Whites use their iPhones to help, too. Yes, there’s an app for this: The Precision Trolling Data app is a must because it allows you to calculate how far out to let line for each type and brand of crankbait to keep it at the desired depth.
That knowledge is combined with information from their Lowrance HDS-10 electronics to put them right on the fish.
The HDS-10 dual screen allows them to see where they are on the lake, as well as the structure below and around them — and, oh yes, where the fish are.
They generally rely on their remote-control Minn Kota Terrova for trolling power, but on windy days and on full days on the water, they’ll use the specially designed Mercury 9.9 outboard for more power.
