Catching Crappie ..
First lets talk lures or bait . Minnows are a great bait for Crappie and the only thing better IMO would be small to medium Shiners . When its get cold or during the winter when they slow down many like to use Maggots fished deep or threw the ice . Now I am not a bait guy because I find it a painful slow way to fish for them especially when trying to locate schools or packs or Crappie .
Some of the lures I like are ..
Soft Plastics ..
Top to bottom .. Marabou Jig ,next 2 are 2.5" Fin"S" , Bass Assasin and bottom 2 are 1.75" Fin"S"
Other favorites are Crappie Magnets and Twisters type grubs from 1" to 3" .
When using these plastic a Ball Head Jig is best opposed to one that has a locking collar . I normally look for sales during the winter for Marabou Jigs and just rip the Marabou off as I find it much cheaper .. At a buck or less a pack .
The jig on the right has the Collar and you can see the before and after in the above pic with the Maribou Jigs .
Colors for the plastics can vary and you'll have to find what is working best . I like Chartreuse the best but Crappie can change feeding habits in a heartbeat . Here is a few that I used a dye like "Spike It" to change the color as many do not come in what I like .
Top pic On the left are Crappie Magnets , The bottom ones are the result of the dye , The rest are 1.75" Fin"S"
Chartreuse , Clear Chartreuse with and without Glitter , Natural colors like Arkansas Shiner are excellent choices .
Some hard baits or small Crankbaits like Countdown Rapala , Suspending Jerkbaits , Small Spinnerbaits and inline Spinners like Roostertails or Panther Martins work well to . My favorites are the Yozuri Cranks like these ..
For these I typically like flashy color patterns or again natural baitfish patterns . For these I like anything from 1" to 4" .
IMO these type lures are best in larger bodies of water with deeper water and River/Creek situations .
So now we got the baits down what the best way to locate them ? There is no doubt that covering water quickly is the key especially if you are not familiar with where they live but know they are there someplace . Crappie are a Structure oriented fish that travel and school in groups and sometimes very large groups especially in the colder water periods .
When searching for Crappie I like to use a casting bobber and since I rarely use anything more than 6 pound test I can cast pretty far and when the winds kick up or I need extra distance we modify the casting boober with extra lead like this ..
Many times while I am out I find old casting bobbers and broken ones that are dicarded by some loser who doesnt care about the environment so grabbing these serves 2 purposes
Helps clean up the area and I get the lead to add to another Bobber for extra weight . You can use split shots as well for added weight . When I rigged one of these up I wrap the line around the opposite end of the lead with atleast 4 turns to keep it from slipping and I DO NOT put the line on the lead end .. Why ? Well I have found that you get more distance and less helicoptering by doing so and when you have to slow the presentation down you can just twitch the bobber making it lay over just slightly to get a bite on finicky fish .. plus it easier to detect a bite because the bobber will lay flat on subtle bites before they go under or swim off .
Fan casting is a good way to start . Look for coves , points , Grass edges and structure and fish the whole area .. Once you find 1 there is bound to be more in that area .
Other things to look for are breaking fish . This can occur anyplace on a body of water and most times its out in the open water at Dawn or dusk with twilight being the most favorable time .. Other times you'll hear them but may not see them because of wind or bright sunlight . Use all your senses and always pay close attention to your surroundings .
Wind ..
The wind can be your best friend when it comes to locating any fish and Crappie are no exception . The wind pushes the small Plankton or Phytoplankton and in turn the small baitfish feed on the Planktons and yepp the Crappie feed on the small baitfish
. I've had some of my best days with triple digit slabs with a nice chop on the water .
Overcast situations .. Are ideal for Crappie too and they will feed all day on days like these where as on sunny days or bluebird days it can be tough . Rain is also a favorite time to catch these fish and one of my favorites .. Its my belief that a light rain makes those small PITA Gnats fall in the water and Crappie tend to feed either on them or the small fish that are feeding on them .. again look and listen closely .
The Spawn is the best time IMO to catch lots of Crappie but I tend to shy away from this period and let them do their thing . For me I like the Prespawn as it seems to me that the bigger fish come up first and are easy to target . Look for known area that have lots of structure and Lilly Pads with adjacent deep water or drop offs .
During these 2 times on clear water you can actually sight fish them . We all know the colder the water the clearer it is right ?
One other area that worth mentioning and take this one to the bank ..
Night Fishing for Slabs ..
Sometimes a body of water gets so pressured that the Crappie will adjust and quit feeding during the daylight hours and only feed at night .. I swear this to be true ! Use minnows or Twisters under a casting bobber with a glow stick .
Sorry this isnt as in depth as I like it to be but I have always been more of a talker than an Author although I could write books on Crappie .. I prefer to just take folks out and put them on these fish . Crappie are my favorite FW fish to catch .
Please practice C&R during the spawn so that our kids can have fun with this fishery well into the future
For you guys with boats and depth finders try this
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How do you post an embeded Youtube video here ?
Modifying Casting Bobbers ..
You can pinch the Spilt shot right on the bottom line connector .. Use pliers so it doesnt shoot off
To add another weight from another bobber .. You'll have to take a pair of dykes or plier and bend the bottom line connector , then remove the plastic line connector , take a sharp knife and cut the foam in the same size of the added weight , apply the weight , add the plastic pice and rebend the piece of metal .
I hope this helps
Have fun and catch them up !
I ditto Davids comment that I am "Full of it" so please ask away
