# Crappie Lures - HELP!!



## BigTerp (Feb 9, 2016)

Will be taking a fishing trip the end of March for mostly Largemouth and a little Crappie action. I'm good on my Largemouth lures and techniques, but have never targeted Crappie. So I'm not really sure what I should be getting for lures and techniques to use. Doing a little research it looks like small tubes, grubs and jigs are the way to go. What size am I looking for? We also may be able to get some live bait (small minnows) to use as well. Would you use these on a jighead?


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## Ictalurus (Feb 9, 2016)

Where are you going crappie fishing in March, WV?


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## -CN- (Feb 9, 2016)

Crappie minnows on a jig head has worked for me.
I've never tried anything but live bait for crappies before.


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (Feb 9, 2016)

We spider rig for them. Sliders on 1/8 oz jig heads tipped with minnows. 

Two weeks ago


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## BigTerp (Feb 9, 2016)

Ictalurus said:


> Where are you going crappie fishing in March, WV?



Virginia


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## BigTerp (Feb 9, 2016)

Thanks for the tips!!


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## Scott85 (Feb 9, 2016)

Crappie magnets!!!


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## Wyatt (Feb 9, 2016)

-CN- said:


> Crappie minnows on a jig head has worked for me.



Hmm. I've never tried minnows on a jig head before. I just always throw them on a red aberdeen with a split shot on the line.


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## AllOutdoors (Feb 10, 2016)

Crappie tubes/ringers on a jig head under a float is all I use. 1/8 oz. I guess. I do paint them and add eyes though.[emoji12]


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## Captain Ahab (Feb 10, 2016)

Tons of crappie stuff out there. I like to jig small plastics like 1.5" finesse (Fin S) minnows and tube on anywhere from 1/32 oz jig heads up to 3/8 oz. The light jigs are needed as the often hit on the fall.

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## Captain Ahab (Feb 10, 2016)

Hard to go wrong with the Bobby Garland stuff.

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## healthnspector (Feb 11, 2016)

We fish for crappie exclusively with 1/16 to 1/8 ounce jigs. We tip the jig with a Berkley's Crappie Nibble (gold or silver sparkle). We mainly use tube jigs in a variety of colors depending on sun and water conditions. Mostly use 1 1/2 inch tube jigs, crappie sliders, slab daddys, and Wally Marshall jokers. We use 10-12 foot jigging rods with a small spinning reel. The reel is seldom used. We mostly fish 10-20 foot deep over & in submerged brush. Vary your presentation using a pendulum delivery, occasional rod tip twitches, or just holding the jig still. You have to watch your line closely to detect light bites. When in doubt, set the hook. Crappie often hit the jig on the fall and nearly always feed upward. We never use light bite or floats so can't help you there...however both can be extremely effective. If you are casting its hard to beat a curly tail grub or a road runner. A dark color or chartreuse is hard to beat. Hope this helps.


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## BigTerp (Feb 12, 2016)

Thanks!!


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## Ictalurus (Feb 12, 2016)

BigTerp said:


> Ictalurus said:
> 
> 
> > Where are you going crappie fishing in March, WV?
> ...



Finding them that early is usually the harder part for me. Once the water temps hit the low 60's, I start fishing for them near structure with minnows. 

Sounds like you may be searching for them in deeper, open water. You can try trolling at various depths w/ various colors/baits until you get it dialed in and then concentrate on what works.


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## BigTerp (Feb 12, 2016)

Ictalurus said:


> Finding them that early is usually the harder part for me. Once the water temps hit the low 60's, I start fishing for them near structure with minnows.
> 
> Sounds like you may be searching for them in deeper, open water. You can try trolling at various depths w/ various colors/baits until you get it dialed in and then concentrate on what works.



Thanks!! 

We are fishing Lake Anna in Virginia. Parts of the lake are warmed by the discharge from a nuclear power plant. There are three "pools" separated by canals that take the cooling water discharge from the power plant (about 4,000 acres total). These pools are separated from the rest of the lake (cold side) by 3 dikes. Water temp at dike #3 (Furthest pool from the power plant) was 51 degrees 2 weeks ago. Should be some interesting fishing!!


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## wasilvers (Feb 16, 2016)

I do pretty well on black crappie up here in WI. Live bait usually works, but if you don't want to mess around with it, buy some cubby mini mites (1/32 lures). I use these, or tubes on 1/16th oz. The mini-mites, I tie two on the line about 2 ft apart - to cover two water depths _and the double weight helps casting distance. Cast out, count down to your depth (above the crappie on the finder) - and reel as slow as you can. Any time your rod tip moves unexpectedly just sweep the hookset. You will demolish them this way, sometimes 2 at a time.

On live bait, I just rig a minnow on a weighted hook, through the nose or out the gill (for short bites). Put that under a stick bobber. The crappie will take it with as little as 18 inches of line under the bobber. Cast up to structure wood in the water.

The crappie will likely be prespawn in normal lakes, but with the warmer water, they could be anywhere. I'd start by wood in water and work deeper. If you see massive swirls of many fish, cast in and catch some crappie! I have used the troller to chase these fish boils before, usually you catch 2 -3 before the fish stop... then you cast until you see them boil again. Makes fun fishing. There are usually bass under the boils too.

For my best luck, shallow or on wood = live bait but deeper than 8 ft or on weedlines = artificial.

There is a great book on crappie at walmart put out by infisherman group. It is a very handy reference that will put you on fish quickly. I keep a copy in my boat. If I'm getting no bites, I scan the book, change presentation, and usually end up on fish.

Good Luck!


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## BigTerp (Feb 17, 2016)

Thanks for the tips


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## Captain Ahab (Feb 17, 2016)

https://www.bobbygarlandcrappie.com/index.php


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## BigTerp (Feb 18, 2016)

Captain Ahab said:


> https://www.bobbygarlandcrappie.com/index.php



I've been checking that sight out since you posted it last week Ahab. Thanks!! Will probably get some of the Bobby Garland stuff.


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## BigTerp (Feb 19, 2016)

What kind of rigs do you guys use? Something as simple as a jig under a slip bobber? Or do you find better leg with tandem type rigs with 2 lures rigged up?


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## -CN- (Feb 19, 2016)

-CN- said:


> Crappie minnows on a jig head has worked for me.
> I've never tried anything but live bait for crappies before.


I fished with a buddy last year that kept catching crappies on a weighted hook baited with a "Gulp" minnow. He'd just cast out and reel in slowly.

For bobber fishing, what I do is tie on a a three-way swivel, and on the other two eyes tie a 18" lead on one and a 9" lead on the other. Tie a hook at the end of both, and crimp a sinker 8" above the hook on the longer lead (about an inch below where the hook hangs on the shorter lead). Bait both hooks with a minnow through the mouth. Both minnows can swim away from each other in a small radius and at two different depths. A good crappie hole will net you two crappies per strike.


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## BigTerp (Feb 24, 2016)

Ending up picking up some of the Bobby Garland slab slayr's and baby shad. Also some various hair jigs in 1/16oz, 1/8oz and 1/4oz. Got the same size jig heads for my plastics. A few slip bobbers and some 1/0 and #2 aberdeen hooks for live minnow fishing. I should be set.


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