“K.I.S.S. Method” for Buying Tackle

When buying new tackle to pursue a new species of fish, our minds tend to take off full speed ahead with no signs of stopping anytime soon. We begin to think of all the various combinations we’ve seen on TV, read in magazines or on different forums. It can become frustrating, and worse, expensive. I was one of those guys that thought you needed everything in the fishing section for a successful day on the water. Boy was I wrong with that mentality! Going out with $300+ worth of gear and not having a single nibble or bite… (CENSORED) (CENSORED) & (CENSORED).

This is where the “K.I.S.S. Method” comes into play. Keep It Simple Slabber’s! The majority of the tackle out there is designed to catch more fisherman than fish. There are members here that sell outstanding products. Send them a private message or simply post in your state’s message board to see what produces the majority of the slabs in your area. Do not forget about site sponsors. You can scroll down to the bottom of the website and locate them. Find out what fish are feeding on before making a single purchase. Go out and observe the lake/pond that you’re wanting to fish. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I know some people hold information like a baby holding candy, but Crappie.com will help ensure a great day on the waters. Stay encouraged!

Listed below are a few simple baits that I use and are highly favored amongst many anglers.

Live Bait: Minnows aka “Minners” and crickets is a good way to start out. This is an inexpensive route to get your feet wet before diving in head first and buying more tackle.

Spinners: Fish love to see a little “bling” from time to time like we do. You cannot go wrong with Blakemore’s RoadRunner, Worden’s Rooster Tail, and Johnson’s Beetle Spin. I caught my first crappie with a Rooster Tail. I will never forget watching the lure come back to the bank and seeing that crappie attack. Always pack spinners in your tackle box and you will not be disappointed.

Jigs/Soft Plastics: A panfish kit (Southern Pro or Bass Pro Shops) will give you a nice variety of tubes or grubs without the stress. If you’re not comfortable with a kit, ask members what they’re having luck with and buy those products mentioned. Be sure to take a peak in the “Jig Tying/Lure Making” section. Also, tipping your jig with live minnows or Berkley’s Crappie Nibbles will help when the action slow. When it comes to soft plastics, Berkley’s Gulp! Minnows are a favorite of mine. You cannot mention soft plastics without mentioning Bobby Garland’s Baby Shad. Pick up a few packs and enjoy the memories.

Crankbaits: I’ve had much success with Rebel’s Wee-R and Crickhopper Crankbaits in the past. I have not experimented with any other crankbaits. I’m sure members will chime in with other great products in this category that will give satisfying results.

I know I left some things out, but I’m just trying to cover the basics to get started. There are a lot of threads here filled with great information and will keep you entertained. Remember, fishing is about having a great time and relieving stress- Not cause stress. Enjoy!

Thank you MoJo JoJo for the straight up info. You are right about most tackle being designed to catch the fisher person, Trying not to offend the ladies who fish. Go into any tackle store or fishing dept. of the larger big box stores, and put the sun shades on for the bling, right. Last couple of times I was able to get to a lake And approached anyone about what the fish were biting on, it was like I was trying to get a national secret. Was told by several that they were using live bait, yet the poles in sight were clearly rigged with lures. Didn't ask for were they were fishing or nothing of the kind....didn't even have a boat with me or anything else. Just trying to get a little info so like you said, wouldn't spend a lot of money needlessly....Seems info around my area can't, or at least won't be shared easily. So when I can get back out there I will rely on past experiences, and start with a smorgesborg of offerings till I can nail things down, And try a couple of these and a couple of those.
I will also use information shared by members on here, both recently,on what I have found searching the archives and use that as a starting point. Remembering not everything works everywhere at any given time, and try to keep to the basic's till I get the local waters figured out. Well this is getting a bit longer than intended, so thanks again. Eric

Even simpler: jigs.

:biggrin

I use mostly 2 kinds of jigs. I sometimes field test others but my favorites not likely to change. Southern Pro Umbrellas and Meatgetter hand ties. Most folks I fish around are shocked to see how little tackle I actually carry along.

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Originally Posted by eric 3501

Thank you MoJo JoJo for the straight up info. You are right about most tackle being designed to catch the fisher person, Trying not to offend the ladies who fish. Go into any tackle store or fishing dept. of the larger big box stores, and put the sun shades on for the bling, right. Last couple of times I was able to get to a lake And approached anyone about what the fish were biting on, it was like I was trying to get a national secret. Was told by several that they were using live bait, yet the poles in sight were clearly rigged with lures. Didn't ask for were they were fishing or nothing of the kind....didn't even have a boat with me or anything else. Just trying to get a little info so like you said, wouldn't spend a lot of money needlessly....Seems info around my area can't, or at least won't be shared easily. So when I can get back out there I will rely on past experiences, and start with a smorgesborg of offerings till I can nail things down, And try a couple of these and a couple of those.
I will also use information shared by members on here, both recently,on what I have found searching the archives and use that as a starting point. Remembering not everything works everywhere at any given time, and try to keep to the basic's till I get the local waters figured out. Well this is getting a bit longer than intended, so thanks again. Eric

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You're welcome. I tried to go back and edit the post a few minutes later, but it wouldn't do right. I wanted to put "individuals that love to fish." I've been down that road trying to get information- Never again! Now, I do a lot of reading and try to find out what type of bait fish, bugs, and critters hang around at each new location along with using techniques that worked in the past. So far, I cannot complain. I hope to get out more this year since my schedule is better. I wish you the best of luck with your outings.

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Originally Posted by NIMROD

I use mostly 2 kinds of jigs. I sometimes field test others but my favorites not likely to change. Southern Pro Umbrellas and Meatgetter hand ties. Most folks I fish around are shocked to see how little tackle I actually carry along.

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*raises hand* I'm that guy who carries around more tackle than needed also. It looks like I'm heading out for a tournament. I'm trying to go out this year with less tackle... I'm in the process of going through everything. Thanks for sharing.

I went from being the guy that carried way to much to the guy that fished out of two little bitty plano boxes (5 x 7) and a fanny pack. Now I fish with a smaller soft sided tackle box, that holds 4 of the plano medium trays. I have a combination of crappie and trout baits in the boxes. I think a lot of it is truly trial and error. I know I have around 60 rods and I only fish with maybe 10 of them including the 16' surf rods. LOL

Like was said earlier. Keep it simply. If you follow the basic guideline above you will have fun out on the water.

Bobo

I am mainly a jig fisherman but like to try and learn different technics. I think the reason most people buy all that tackle is because they are looking for that magic lure. I think if you have to much tackle you have too many options and you don't really learn how to use any certain one to its ability. I had fished jigs for along time before I felt I knew enough to move on to some thing else. a jig is a simple lure but there are a lot of ways to fish them and be good at each one. my lake doesn't have a lot of docks so I am going to have to find some docks to shoot somewhere.

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Originally Posted by Bobo Greybeard

I went from being the guy that carried way to much to the guy that fished out of two little bitty plano boxes (5 x 7) and a fanny pack. Now I fish with a smaller soft sided tackle box, that holds 4 of the plano medium trays. I have a combination of crappie and trout baits in the boxes. I think a lot of it is truly trial and error. I know I have around 60 rods and I only fish with maybe 10 of them including the 16' surf rods. LOL

Like was said earlier. Keep it simply. If you follow the basic guideline above you will have fun out on the water.

Bobo

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I'm trying to work my way towards one 7.25 x 11.0 Plano box with my "Go To" lures and a jig kit. I believe I will not over-think on my presentation that way.

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Originally Posted by bluedrifter

I am mainly a jig fisherman but like to try and learn different technics. I think the reason most people buy all that tackle is because they are looking for that magic lure. I think if you have to much tackle you have too many options and you don't really learn how to use any certain one to its ability. I had fished jigs for along time before I felt I knew enough to move on to some thing else. a jig is a simple lure but there are a lot of ways to fish them and be good at each one. my lake doesn't have a lot of docks so I am going to have to find some docks to shoot somewhere.

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I truly understand. Having too many options is not good. Some people may change the lure instead of changing their technique. This is where patience comes in. Do not get in a rush and let the fish tell you what they want. The magic lure is the lure that a person has mastered. Like you said, stick to one lure and experiment with a variety of techniques then, move to something else.

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Originally Posted by eric 3501

Thank you MoJo JoJo for the straight up info. You are right about most tackle being designed to catch the fisher person, Trying not to offend the ladies who fish. Go into any tackle store or fishing dept. of the larger big box stores, and put the sun shades on for the bling, right. Last couple of times I was able to get to a lake And approached anyone about what the fish were biting on, it was like I was trying to get a national secret. Was told by several that they were using live bait, yet the poles in sight were clearly rigged with lures. Didn't ask for were they were fishing or nothing of the kind....didn't even have a boat with me or anything else. Just trying to get a little info so like you said, wouldn't spend a lot of money needlessly....Seems info around my area can't, or at least won't be shared easily. So when I can get back out there I will rely on past experiences, and start with a smorgesborg of offerings till I can nail things down, And try a couple of these and a couple of those.
I will also use information shared by members on here, both recently,on what I have found searching the archives and use that as a starting point. Remembering not everything works everywhere at any given time, and try to keep to the basic's till I get the local waters figured out. Well this is getting a bit longer than intended, so thanks again. Eric

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"Yep, I was using Bally-O-Bugs in 90 feet of water over the sand beds to catch them big ole slabs..."

Sorry, But I could not resist. A couple years ago, was walleye fishing and having a ball we were on the fish and they were really on. almost as fast as you could get your bait to the bottom, you had a fish on. Young couple about 50 yards away were watching and finally trolled close enough to ask what we were using. Being in a generous mood, tossed them a couple vibrating blades which is what we were using (Gal was cute and dressed appropriately maybe a bit scantily for the early fall but maybe she liked a chill). Watched them go back to their spot on the point which is where we really wanted to be but hey they were there first.

Back at the ramp, we were cleaning our catch when they pulled in and someone who was launching asked how they did, They showed a nice livewell and offered they were killing them on minnows. Never even stopped and thanked us for the blades.

Live bait, I always like wax worms and butter worms. Crappie and big Bluegills love'm.

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Originally Posted by NYHellbender

Live bait, I always like wax worms and butter worms. Crappie and big Bluegills love'm.

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I see them when getting nightcrawlers at Walmart, but I never grabbed a cup for some reason. Well, I guess it's because minnows are highly praised around here.

Use the wax worms and butter worms when fishing jigs. Lots of folks swear by them.

Last week Krappie Kings they were fishing Rend Lake with Road Runners tipped with wax worms.

They were crushing'em. :ThumbsUp Plus if the crappie arn't bittin' the Big Bluegill and Pumpkinsseds love'em.

It looks like I've been missing out. I will be grabbing a cup the next time I head out.

Don't forget the strike king bitsy minnow in the crankbait category. Dynamite on shallow water fish around the spawn. Never know what will hit it!

I'll second the Bitsy Minnow. I caught more fish on that lure than everything else combined.....white was the hot ticket. Go figure.........

Yes, Strike King Bitsy Minnow's are deadly.

"Ghost" aka White is the one I used as well.

Thanks for mentioning that. I accidentally called it the Rebel Wee-R by accident.

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Originally Posted by MoJo JoJo

Yes, Strike King Bitsy Minnow's are deadly.

"Ghost" aka White is the one I used as well.

Thanks for mentioning that. I accidentally called it the Rebel Wee-R.

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Fixed

Hi guys. I'm a bass fisherman looking to expand my horizons by learning to crappie fish and I think it might be easier for my 6 year old too. The slow bites of bass fishing are not good for a youngsters learning process. I know the first post said check your states link but is there a general color that just seems to work all over or is it kinda like bass fishing and it varies from region to region? I've seen some seminars at Bass Pro and I believe they said hot pink is good but I just don't remember exactly and I want to keep it simple at first with the best chances possible. (Minnows are too hard to come by around here) Thanks for any info and I hope my question isn't too stupid.

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Originally Posted by Kevin22

Don't forget the strike king bitsy minnow in the crankbait category. Dynamite on shallow water fish around the spawn. Never know what will hit it!

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the solid white with red eye has out fished the other choices for me for several yrs. .

Its not the guy carrying the 100 pound tackle box to the tournament that scares me, its the guy that shows up with just a small paper bag!CF