Slab crappies are meat eaters—sure enough minnow munchers. They take artificials well at times, especially jigs—but big crappie will turn their noses at even the best of the best crappie lures.

Larry Fulton's hands just twisted the fishing line around a few times, he put the tangle up to his mouth and suddenly he had tied a perfect loop to attach a jig to the line. "Wait a minute. Do that ...