Crappie pro Mark Williams knows that working with the wind is a make-it-or-break factor for spider rigging.
For one thing, wind creates current, and crappie will position facing upcurrent to leverage the natural food delivery. Moreover, going with the wind means you don’t have the fish-spooking hull slap of oncoming waves.
The only downside is that the wind might push your boat across your target zone too quickly.
For optimal control, Williams complements his trolling motor’s propulsion with the speed-moderation of a heavy chain dragged behind the boat. Using an electric Minn Kota Deckhand to deploy and retrieve a rope clipped to a 5-foot section of ½-inch chain, Williams adjusts his scope to prevailing conditions: More wind requires more rope to lay more chain on the bottom and increase drag.
“In lighter wind, I like to let out just enough chain to just barely touch bottom and make the boat stop,” Williams said. “Then I drag the boat with the trolling motor. If I come to a (sweet spot), all I do is let off that trolling motor and let those chains hold the boat in spot.”
