Keith Lusher 06.24.24
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was just 17 years old, casting a green and black Johnson’s Beetle Spin into a narrow canal lined with fallen trees. My target was bream, and that morning I had already filled my stringer with about seven fish. I aimed near a half-submerged treetop and began reeling in. Suddenly, I felt a solid thump—more forceful than the usual bream strikes I was accustomed to. As I lifted the fish out of the water, I realized it was a crappie. It marked my first encounter with this species and sparked my fascination with them.
Since then, I’ve caught thousands of crappie, experimenting with various techniques such as using shiners under a cork, tight-lining jigs, and jigs under a cork, all of which have proven effective. However, one method I’ve grown particularly fond of is casting and retrieving jigs with a spinner blade.
Recently, I had the opportunity to try out a recommended spinner bait called the Sac-a-lait Slayer, made by H&H Lures, suggested by a lifelong crappie angler and good friend. For those unfamiliar, “Sac-a-lait” is the French term for crappie, commonly used anywhere north of Baton Rouge.
My adventure began on the Tickfaw River in Southeast Louisiana, an area still recovering from the dramatic environmental shifts caused by Hurricane Ida a few years ago. I started fishing along a shoreline lined with cypress knees and lilies, armed with the Sac-a-lait Slayer on my ultralight setup. The morning began slowly, but as the sun rose, the fish became more active.
Here are my key takeaways from using the Sac-a-lait Slayer:
Weight: The lure weighs 1/16 ounce, which is perfectly suited for an ultralight setup in water no deeper than 10 feet. I would recommend the 1/8-ounce version for deeper waters.
Design: This lure shines in its streamlined design, with no jig head to interrupt its horizontal swimming motion. The embedded weight throughout the lure allows for smooth retrieval through structures and vegetation.
Spinner: The tough, gold teardrop-shaped blade was well made, showing no signs of flaking or chipping, unlike cheaper ones. Personally, I prefer larger blades for increased water resistance, this allows me to slow down my presentation, but this is a matter of personal preference.
During my trip, I landed 23 crappie, with the highlight coming on a cast to submerged log. As I paused to untangle my spool, the lure sank to the bottom. When I started reeling it in, I felt resistance, and after a vigorous struggle, I landed a solid 16-inch crappie—one of the largest I’ve ever caught and it came on the Sac-a-lait Slayer!
