Need some advice!

Well this probably sound like a strange question, especially from someone who has been fishing for 30 + years but here goes!

Give me some advise on fishing live bait for crappie! I hear ya'll talking about fishing minnows on slip cork rigs, ect but honestly I have never ever used live bait for crappie so I have not a clue as to how to set up for this.

I grew up and have been crappie fishing all this time with nothing but a good ole jig pole and a tube jig, flipping a jig up in some buck brush or next to a cypress tree is my favorite way to crappie fish.... The past couple of years I have branched out and caught alot on an ultralight and road runners but still have never tried minnows.

I have a fishing partner (girlfriend) now that loves crappie fishing just as much as me, if not more, and I thought to maybe increase the action a little bit for her we might try some live bait so we can catch some big fall stringers like I see ya'll post up here lately.

Any tips, instructions or pointers would be greatly appreciated and would help me and maybe some others on the board!

Thanks!

Shawn

To be honest with you, I carry minners most of the time just for luck. I like to anchor in "my" spot. I will set out a couple of lines with minners, then start casting a jig. During the coldest winter or hottest summer months I will anchor along a creek channel over brush and let some minners swim around in it. I love to catch them on jigs however. But, some days that ain't the trick and I have to concentrate on the minners.
DP

sounds like you already know the where and when part... and with who seems to be shaping up nicely too. Fishn with the fishes can be just as much fun as jig fishing and like DP said can be done at the same time so you got a couple of base covered. Basically pick out a slip bobber style you like and some bobber stops, I like the slip-on little braided line knot type stops and the thill oval slip floats. They are easy to rig on and very adjustable, just be sure the knot is wet when you move it up and down. Then tie on a small hook like a cricket size, so when it gets snagged you can just pull it out and it bends back. need a little weight and hook the minnerthrough the bottom lip first. We usually use rosy reds, pinks, or crappie minows. your ready to go get em, need a different depth, just move the bobber stop. Watching that bobber bounce a time or two and then slowly disapear is a thrill. Hey and bobbers come in his and her colors too!

Hey Shawn, you don't need to do much different at all for live bait fishing. Most of my jig pole fishing is with a slip bobber, so that's usually the way that I minnow fish as well. However, it's not a must that you use a bobber with live bait. If you do decide to use a float, be sure to use the smallest that you can get away with, and match it to the right split-shot. You want the bobber to pull under easily.

Fishing thick cover with a minnow can be tricky. That lil' dude is gonna try his best to wrap around every piece of cover and get you hung. That is where the thin-wire cricket hooks, as discussed by DeepThoughts, comes into play. Don't be scared to use them, as these hooks will hold up to some big fish. If you get hung, you can usually straighten the hook out, bend it back, rebait, and back to fishin'.

The other thing is how to hook the minnow. You can hook them through the lips, by hooking just behind the lips when they are smooched out. Another way is to hook them through the eyes, just through one eye and out the other. Lastly, you can hook 'em through the back so that they hang in the air just as they would swim in the water. Hooking 'em like this is a little trickier cuz you have to find the sweet spot to keep 'em alive.

Now is the time of year to use minnows since they keep so easily. Good luck with 'em.

I mostly put my live bait under a slip float and tightline jigs. However, that's not necessary. If your fishing environment is more condusive to tightlining, tipping your jig with a small minnow sometimes gets the bite when the other presentation methods don't. You can even tightline a plain jighead hook with a minnow (lip hooked) instead of a tube jig. I love getting my thump on a jig, but like "they" say, 'they don't get fat on plastic'. One advantage of using floats is you can fish more than one rod at a time and you can vary your depths as needed. This is usually done in open water hovering over a brushpile. Another advantage to a float is you can pitch or cast your bait to a spot (like the buckbrush or cypress you mentioned) and the float will hold it there for you at the desired depth. Bottomline, you can use a jig or live bait with any of the presentation methods you choose. The only difference is you control your depth manually when tightlining and the stopper and float controls the depth for you.

Thanks so much for the replies guys, sounds like something even I can figure out! :p

One more question, where can a guy get some minnows on a Sunday morning around Little Rock/England area? The farm I duck hunt is near England and Plum Bayou is right across the road from our farm shop, I need to take some boats over there anyway so I thought about just giving either that or clear lake a try and kill 2 birds with one stone.

Thanks again for all the help!

Shawn

Hey Shawn, I usually get mine from Zimmerman's on S. University (inside of the exxon station). They have shiners and rosies. You can get 3doz for $2. They are open 24/7.

Although I've never been there personally, you can also get bait from Hatchet Jack's on Crystal Hill Rd.

Thanks Ceb, I'm staying in Little Rock at my fishin partners tonight so we will run by Zimmermans in the morning!

If you take the England hi-way from I-440, you're just two blocks from McSwain's. Just turn left instead of right if you're coming from the airport.

This info is a bit late, but FYI for those heading that way next time.

Good call. I'd completely forgotten about McSwains.