Go Big or Go Home - Brad Wiegmann

There are times when you can’t get a crappie to bite a big lure. Heavy pressured or a cold front has moved in, but in some situations big lures get the big crappie to bite. I have seen this happen in reservoirs across the United States where pros and guides break out what seems to be too big, however, the results is them catching big crappie.


First start fishing bigger lures on Beaver Lake in Arkansas during the cold winter months chasing roaming crappie. During the colder winter months bigger crappie tend to spread out and roam while following and feeding on schools of shad. The size of the shad might be the key to the fact crappie are eating bigger lures as the shad have grown during the summer months and now are in the 3-inch size range.


Beaver Lake renowned for its clearer water clarity the larger size lures in more transparent color patterns are extremely productive. Large lures, but transparent color patterns tend to blend into the environment around them making them more realistic, lifelike. For Ozark highland reservoirs purple, green and gray highlights in the lures are popular.


Switching to Lake Washington in Mississippi a reservoir the go big or go home theory is winning tournaments for crappie pros there. Once considered one of the better crappie fishing destination, but decimated by over harvest. Now is coming back with some quality crappie in the 3 pound range that are being caught on the bigger lures.


Moving on to the Big Three reservoirs in Mississippi I have witnessed the go big or go home theory and it works there on those lakes. Why? They have big crappie with large appetite. These reservoirs normally have a stained or muddy water clarity which plays into fishing the larger sized lures.



I could go on and on about where, but the key to using the larger lures is anglers using forward facing sonar to get the lure in front of a crappie. Sometimes its casting and other times pushing the boat forward to the crappie. Just depends on the attitude of the crappie.


I’m not saying that you can’t catch big crappie on big lures without forward facing sonar just that the anglers, pros and guides have and are using forward facing sonar that I have been in the boat with. Larger lures could easily be pitched or fished in super shallow or in aquatic vegetation.


In the quest to find some shad shaped, larger soft plastic lures I came across Netbait supercharged with Baitfuel. They have 4 shad shaped lures with different designed tails that could be used depending on how aggressive or spooky the crappie are biting that day. They have different color patterns for any water clarity depending on the forage and water clarity.


One thing to note is Netbait designed these lures for fishing with forward facing sonar, but they could be just casted out and retrieved or jigged vertically. Starting with the Finiki Sonix Shad is a lure with a wedge tail design that produces a realistic side to side tail action that mimics the natural swimming movement of a baitfish. While it’s promoted as a dropshot or jighead lure an angler could easily rig on their favorite jighead like a PICO Lures scope eye jighead and cast and retrieve it.


Next is the Eko Shad HexTek tapered beaver tail design with more angles and flat sides that increase the visibility of the lure when using with forward facing sonar. This is by far the most subtle action lure of the four lures we’re highlighting. Its design results in smooth, realistic natural action with the slightest movement of the rod or line.
Blip Minnow HexTex has an innovative D-Tail design noted to produce a subtle action, but with a swimming movement. Similar to the Eko Shad HexTek it has angular, flat sides making it easier to see with forward facing sonar.


Lastly and clearly the most unique of the four Netbait lures with a shad shaped body is the Finiki Sonix Shad. It’s the split tail that makes this completely different. When retrieved the tail produces a lifelike kicking action and that’s even at a slow retrieve. Similar to the other 3 the body is designed to resemble forage fish.


Go big or go home? I’m going big.