Tackle?

[Spoonminnow]

Color is overrated IMO. I could have stayed with white all day yesterday and still caught over 60 fish. Most important was tail action and jig weight/hook size. Straight-tail soft plastics ruled! Do a google search for crappie soft plastics and many come up. Key is lure action on the slowest retrieve - especially in water less than 5'.

Also important is finding fish to begin with that will strike your lure or live bait. Casting to many areas - especially from a boat - ups the chances. I found schools of fish yesterday and the day before that increased the number to over 100 fish caught for two days. Few were large enough to keep, but the drug is the tug in my book and fun to anticipate what is hooked. My last fish taken on a small lure was a 2 lb bass that really put a bend on my light action rod.

personal recs:

My jig weights (oz): 1/16, 1/24, 1/32, 1/64
jig hook size matched to soft plastic size: #8, #6, #4

light action 5'6" or 6' rod for ease of casting light lures

8lb test braid for best strike detection and better hook sets as well as allowing good lure action. Braid has no memory (coils), no stretch.

Spinning reels allow the best distance casting of light lures.

The nice thing about the above are the number of fish species that attack small lures. Crappie, yellow and white perch, bass, sunfish and even catfish will strike small lures.

The above is only one anglers opinion based on years of catching fish in many different waters. There is no hard & fast rules when it comes to tackle or finding and catching fish using the ultimate fish-finder: your lure. Cast cast cast to many areas is the best way to do that.

Good luck to the both of you. These included in the 60 fish caught yesterday bit small soft plastics: