Any crappie experts out there?

[Jamen]

I am glad I live next to 2 very good crappie lakes. We have been putting a hammer on them this winter. What I do in the winter is I take a minnow head an place it on a vast array of lures and I jig. I also use a vexilar which helps know when the fish is following my lure up and down so I can suspect a bite. Sometimes when they come in giant schools you can have a bare hook and they will strike it. I find I get 9 out of 10 crappie on jigging vs my bobber rods.

Summer and spring fishing if im in a boat or on shore I use the same tactics. I take the smallest jig I can cast where I need it to go with a mr twister on it and slowly reel it in. The bite is hard to figure out at first but once you know what to look for I can guarantee a fish will bite my lure on every other cast when we get into them.

If they are right below your dock I would even entertain the idea of an ultra light ice fishing pole to jig on. People may look at you funny but it can be easier to see when they tap the bait. The snitch rod is good for this.

Hope this helps

Jamen

 

[Gut Shot]

Mostly shallow, dirty water around here. We jig structure for them. A small lead head and rubber tube skirt is the preferred tackle, take a minnow and hook it through the lips and your jig will work much better. When they are hitting two guys on a good lake will pull in over 100 "keepers" in a day of fishing, when they aren't we just hang it up and go after catfish.

 

[R.K.]

This time of year, I'd go with a 1/32 or 1/16oz jighead and a Bobby Garland baby shad. I'd say a natural color, white, or something with a bit of blue in it. Red or hot pink for the head. Rig it to ride horizontal, then drop down to a few feet above them, and move the rod tip around to move the bait. Move it several feet side to side and hold it there, so the bait moves over to it and then stops. Hold it there for a bit, maybe cause the tip to shiver some. If that doesn't work, try a small lift/drop, or hops, or twitches. Take out a couple feet of line and repeat until you are well below the fish. Move around, try different slips, different colors, etc.

Use 4-6# line, anything heavier will really kill your ability to feel the bite.

And if this doesn't work, rig up a two-hook drop shot with your minnow, drop it in and set the pole down. Wait for the tip to twitch, and set the hook.

 

[sneakem]

Far from an expert on anything, BUT I have great luck using the one-inch gulp minnows and a very small jig. I just troll them real slowly with my boat, but jigging works, too.

^^ This.... It also works really well fished a few feet under a bobber near structure. Reel 3 feet... stop 10 seconds... repeat...

 

[jvanhoy]

Thanks again everyone! Hoping to get out this weekend and try your suggestions. There's some monsters in there if i can get them to cooperate. My son has caught 2 that are citation size now.