Newbie Here: What do you think of my crappie box?

Hey- The spawn is approaching here in Southwest Ohio and I'm just trying to be as prepared as possible. I certainly consider myself a crappie newb so I would love to hear what you all think of the crappie box I put together. All of my fishing will be done from shore as I do not have boat access. I'm aware it mostly consists of jigs and soft plastics and will be making another box soon with crankbaits, beetle spins, and things of that nature. For now though, I'd like to know if there's anything I'm lacking? I will be using my new BnM 7' rod and Pflueger Purist reel with 4lb Stren high-vis gold line. Looking forward to hearing your input and thanks.

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Brandon

Looks like a good starter kit to me! You certainly picked out some good colors.

Looks like the beginnings of a pretty well rounded arsenal.

The only thing I would suggest adding would be a selection of weedless jigheads ... even if it were only a pack of 1/32 & 1/16oz jigheads. Fishing from the bank means no way to reach a snagged jig, at times, so having some weedless jigs can help keep you fishing rather than breaking off and re-tying a lot.

Unfortunately, most commercially sold weedless jigs have smaller hooks ... like a #6 for 1/32oz & a #4 for 1/16oz ... but, some of the bigger box stores "may" have a few with larger hooks. Or you can contact one of our members that pours their own and see what they can do for you.

:welcome to Crappie.com .... and hope to see pics & read reports of your :fish adventures !!

... luck2ya !!

:welcome Welcome from South Central Mississippi. Wow! Crappie box looks good. Will be looking for some of your fishing reports and pictures in the future.

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Originally Posted by shadboy

Looks like a good starter kit to me! You certainly picked out some good colors.

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Thank you. I tried to get as much of a variety as I could.

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Looks like the beginnings of a pretty well rounded arsenal.

The only thing I would suggest adding would be a selection of weedless jigheads ... even if it were only a pack of 1/32 & 1/16oz jigheads. Fishing from the bank means no way to reach a snagged jig, at times, so having some weedless jigs can help keep you fishing rather than breaking off and re-tying a lot.

Unfortunately, most commercially sold weedless jigs have smaller hooks ... like a #6 for 1/32oz & a #4 for 1/16oz ... but, some of the bigger box stores "may" have a few with larger hooks. Or you can contact one of our members that pours their own and see what they can do for you.

:welcome to Crappie.com .... and hope to see pics & read reports of your :fish adventures !!

... luck2ya !!

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Thanks you. I had actually thought of getting weedless but forgot so thanks for reminding me! They will be extremely useful. I know a guy that pours his own and can make almost any type of jig you can think of so I'm going to order some in 1/16oz.

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Originally Posted by scrat

:welcome Welcome from South Central Mississippi. Wow! Crappie box looks good. Will be looking for some of your fishing reports and pictures in the future.

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Hello! Thanks for the warm welcome. Love this forum already. I hope to be posting some reports soon but maybe not as soon as I'd like.. It snowed this morning :banghead

Brandon

the only thing I see missing is some split shot for live bait fishing

looks like a good start to me

I wish my mess was that simple and compact............ lol I have a hording problem :biggrin

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Originally Posted by short grub

the only thing I see missing is some split shot for live bait fishing

looks like a good start to me

I wish my mess was that simple and compact............ lol I have a hording problem :biggrin

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I did actually just add split shots! Good eye. Thank you!

Good looking box of stuff....I like to fish with tubes and fill them with crappie nibbles.I have a bait pump that I use and it works great but I know other people use those medicine syringes to fill there tubes and say its works good,either way i'd recommend something like that.I'd also get a decent minnow bucket,sometimes its hard to beat minnows.

being from central Ohio myself , I like the colors and my favorite for a lot of the stained water lakes we have the black and chart. is my all around go to bait unless water is clear. I really like the BG baits also , seems like the monkey milk and bluegrass colors work good in clear water for me also. I never use minnows though, and make my own jigs also so I would have to add a few different colors on hair jigs but other than that looks like you have it pretty sewed up to me.

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Originally Posted by ad1974

Good looking box of stuff....I like to fish with tubes and fill them with crappie nibbles.I have a bait pump that I use and it works great but I know other people use those medicine syringes to fill there tubes and say its works good,either way i'd recommend something like that.I'd also get a decent minnow bucket,sometimes its hard to beat minnows.

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I have a frabill cheap minnow bucket but it works well. I hate lugging the thing around a lake though, much prefer plastics. I use crappie niblets but usually just putm on the tip of the hook. Never tried stuffing inside the tube itself and honestly not sure id be able to. The hooks I use have double collars and there's not much room left in there after stuffing the head of the jig and double collar. Thanks for the feedback

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Originally Posted by glasseyes

being from central Ohio myself , I like the colors and my favorite for a lot of the stained water lakes we have the black and chart. is my all around go to bait unless water is clear. I really like the BG baits also , seems like the monkey milk and bluegrass colors work good in clear water for me also. I never use minnows though, and make my own jigs also so I would have to add a few different colors on hair jigs but other than that looks like you have it pretty sewed up to me.

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Good to know I've got some good colors, I picked the ones I've read about most and tried to acquire a variety of styles and colors. The only early crappie I've caught so far was on the black/chart BG. I think that colors gonna be good this year. You never use minnows? There are times when I use soft plastics and don't get a single bite and feel if I would've use minnows I would've had better luck. Probably just an excuse for getting skunked though. Thanks for the feedback.

Now all you need is about a dozen more of them. It'll come, give it time.

Looks good, but a crappie box ain't complete without a few roadrunner heads in it. Welcome from Florida.

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Originally Posted by huntinslabs

Looks good, but a crappie box ain't complete without a few roadrunner heads in it. Welcome from Florida.

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Im planning on grabbing a few. Never used them before though. Do you vertical jig them or?

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Originally Posted by FlyingFish

Im planning on grabbing a few. Never used them before though. Do you vertical jig them or?

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cast, vertical jig, troll em, spider rig em

Be sure to give that blue thunder and electric chicken some extra time. You will not be disappointed. Welcome from Tenn..

Good setup

Welcome to crappie.com and don't be shy about sharing photos with us.

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to update everyone on how my Spring is going so far. Caught around 40 keeper crappie so far in about 10-15 outings. I think I'm doing alright except that 22 of them came in one trip. I'm having some difficulty still and I think it might be from my retrieval technique. The current rig I use consists of a bobber stop, bead, slip bobber, small snap and jig. I experiment with depth and colors. I think the main issue is my overall presentation. My retrieval consists of me casting out and letting the jig reach depth, wait a few seconds, twitch, pause a few seconds, twitch twitch, pause, twitch pause etc. I will do this until I have reeled almost all the way in. Can anyone offer me some advice as to other, better techniques to use? Should I try using the jig without the float for a faster presentation? Should I pause longer? Add more twitches? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Also, I mostly use jigs with tubes or baby shad baits and then tip it with a crappie niblet. Is the crappie niblet on the tip of the hook a good or bad idea? I think it would give the fish something to taste and the fish would keep it in its mouth longer but I suppose the niblet could also take away from the appearance of the bait and confuse the fish? Idk. Maybe I'm overthinking.

Thanks in advance everyone. Here are a few pics of me and the girl:

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Brandon

Glad to have you on board, Good start on tackle.

Looks fine for a starter box , just don't get hooked into the idea you need a supply of everything on the market .

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Originally Posted by FlyingFish

Is the crappie niblet on the tip of the hook a good or bad idea?

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I use niblets 98% of time, the other 2% is only when I've lost my nib or forgot to bring them. I have fished "tested with and without" and for me they make a big difference in my catch rate.

Welcome aboard.

The crappie nibble injector is a great idea because you go through a lot of nibbles by just putting them on the hook. You could also add some PowerBait attractant to it before you inject it. Also, if you are out walking the banks you should probably have one of these as well, lol. Amazon.com : Cowboy Buzy Beer Holster Handmade by Hide & Drink : Bourbon Brown : Sports & Outdoors

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Originally Posted by FlyingFish

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to update everyone on how my Spring is going so far. Caught around 40 keeper crappie so far in about 10-15 outings. I think I'm doing alright except that 22 of them came in one trip. I'm having some difficulty still and I think it might be from my retrieval technique. The current rig I use consists of a bobber stop, bead, slip bobber, small snap and jig. I experiment with depth and colors. I think the main issue is my overall presentation. My retrieval consists of me casting out and letting the jig reach depth, wait a few seconds, twitch, pause a few seconds, twitch twitch, pause, twitch pause etc. I will do this until I have reeled almost all the way in. Can anyone offer me some advice as to other, better techniques to use? Should I try using the jig without the float for a faster presentation? Should I pause longer? Add more twitches? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Also, I mostly use jigs with tubes or baby shad baits and then tip it with a crappie niblet. Is the crappie niblet on the tip of the hook a good or bad idea? I think it would give the fish something to taste and the fish would keep it in its mouth longer but I suppose the niblet could also take away from the appearance of the bait and confuse the fish? Idk. Maybe I'm overthinking.

Thanks in advance everyone. Here are a few pics of me and the girl:

Attachment 238539Attachment 238540

Brandon

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Don't limit yourself to one type of retrieve. Throw it out there with the float, do what you have been doing, after a few casts throw it out then reel in with a slow steady retrieve. You can vary your depth by the speed you retrieve. If that doesn't work try taking the bobber off, do the same thing, throw out and count down 1001,1002 and so on. Every count should give you close to a ft. Try that at different depths. Reel straight in slow and steady, then reel twitch reel.

I would stock up on some curly tails, throw them on a road runner or a jig head if it is brushy, just bend the hook down at the collar and rig it weedless.

I'm new to the site also. You have the same idea in a box as I have as a bank fisherman also. Looking good.

That box looks awesome! I wish mine was that organized


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Welcome from central Mississippi. Looks like a great start to me. The bottom row third from the left looks like Smurf Limeade, that is one of my go to colors.

main thing you need to do is spend more time getting pics of the girlfriend and less time thinking about nibbles :biggrin

Welcome to the forum . I would pitch a fixed or "pinch on " type of float in the spring when targeting shallow crappie for sure . Most often a VERY slow retrieved almost not moving works well . Watch the float close .....if it don't act "right " in any way set the hook . A Berkley gulp brand glow white crappie nibble on the hook point and sometimes the most radical colors in the spring get the most bites ......this may all also apply in the fall on some lakes as well ......good luck to ya

Looks good ,Good colors for fall in there.