Calftail Jig Legend of the Crappie Knocker

THE LEGEND OF THE “CRAPPIE KNOCKER”

AFTER FISHING WITH OUR CALFTAIL JIGS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, MY WIFE AND I REALIZED THAT THEY DIDN’T HAVE A NAME. WE WERE TIRED OF SIMPLY REFERRING TO THEM AS THOSE “HAIR” JIGS, SO WE DECIDED TO TRY TO FIND A NAME FOR THEM. AFTER KICKING AROUND SEVERAL IDEAS, WE DECIDED ON THE NAME “CRAPPIE KNOCKERS”.

THIS WAS THE RESULT OF HOW I DESCRIBED THE BITE WHEN A CRAPPIE ATTACKS THE LURE. IT IS A VERY DISTINCTIVE “KNOCK”, TAP, OR JERK ON YOUR LINE. WHEN I WOULD GET A BITE, MANY TIMES I WOULD TELL MY WIFE, “HE ALMOST KNOCKED THE ROD OUT OF MY HAND”. WE BOTH GOT TO WHERE WE WOULD SAY “I SURE WISH ONE OF THOSE ‘KNOCKERS’ WOULD COME AND KNOCK THIS ROD OUT OF MY HAND”. WE REALIZED THAT WE USED THE WORD “KNOCK” AND “KNOCKERS” SO MUCH THAT WE DECIDED TO CALL OUR CALFTAIL JIGS... “CRAPPIE KNOCKERS”.

I AM CERTAIN THAT AFTER YOU USE THESE LURES FOR A VERY SHORT TIME, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH A CRAPPIE BITE FROM OTHER BITES. IT JUST SEEMS THAT SO OFTEN A CRAPPIE BITE IS JUST ONE HARD “KNOCK” STRAIGHT DOWN. YOU WILL ALSO FIND THAT BLUE GILL, OR BREAM, ALSO HAVE A VERY DISTINCTIVE ACTION ONCE THEY ARE HOOKED, AND MANY TIMES WE CATCH AS MANY OR MORE HUGE BLUE GILL AS WE DO CRAPPIE.

AND THAT'S THE STORY OF HOW THE "CRAPPIE KNOCKER" WAS BORN...