Printable View
I've been taught crappie fishing with minnows under a float first, and jigs under a float more recently. I have since moved away from the minnows, but see people catching them casting jigs. I have tried a few different options with jig heads and some jigs I use under floats with limited success. Can you all point me in a direction with jig head size and maybe a couple bait options to try for pre spawn and spawn?
Thanks
All you need to know is right here. Sliders are good baits, but the method works with any jig.
Charlie Brewer's Slider Company - Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Weedless Crappie Slider "Why&How"
I use 1/16oz ballhead weedless jig heads & 1.5" to 2" plastics (mostly shad stingertail styles, like Panfish Assassins or Slabanator Shad bodies) ... I fish them on a 6'6" fast action rod & use 6lb test hi-vis line ... and I set the hook on any line movement (like a single quick "jump" in the line, line movement to the left/right rather than straight back to me, or instant slack in the line when it can't be on bottom). I use these jigs & casting method when the fish are deeper than 5' and/or around heavy cover.
When they are pre-spawn, or spawning in shallow water (<5ft deep) and not around heavy cover, I'm usually casting a 1/16oz marabou Roadrunner ... with a simple cast/retrieve method, just fast enough to keep the blade spinning & keep the Roadrunner "over top of" any submerged cover.
Most of the lakes I fish, a blue/chartreuse tube or stinger shad works as often as any other color or combo. A solid chartreuse, pink/chartreuse, or solid pink Roadrunner has put many a Slab over the side of my boat, too.
My success may or may not be due to these colors ... but, it's definitely due to "finding" where the fish are, at the time I'm there. No magic color or bait will catch fish, if there are no fish where you're presenting those baits. So, always remember the banks & what type cover you catch spawning fish on ... because they will use those same banks/cover, year after year, and so will their offspring (as long as no significant negative changes occur to that bank).
We never go heavier than 1/16 ....I like 1/24 and 1/32 number 6 ball head jigs under a float and pitched and "drug" as well . Brought back from its landing spot Slow enough to be a snail crawl , maybe with a rather occasional twitch or maybe none at all .
Return to known spawning areas because the crappie will as well , we float fish never much more than 3 to 4 foot deep in the spawn and lots of time around 12 inches . Bright baits first is my thought. If they see it it's on ! Lowest lighting conditions will be best for sure as well because a lot of fish move out deep in the daylight .
Typically boy fish rule real tight to the bank and when you hit it just right girls will be not far away .
Hope that helps ya .....
I use 1/16th oz weedless Jigheads also. I like 1&1/2" to 2" curly tail grubs, Zoom makes one with good tail action in limited colors. I use 20lb Power Pro braid for sensitivity & reduces braid issues. The braid works better after the newness has worn off and is more limber.
Rod & reel are probably most important components. I use a Plueger President 6920 reel & a 5' Rod. Stiff but is sensitive in the tip.
It will take some time for you to be able to throw 30-40', but will come with practice.
#6 sickle hook in a 1/32 jig and body of choice. Curls tend to ride higher if it's real shallow, but sometimes they wont touch a curl tail. Bobby Garland Baby Shad in 4 or 5 colors and switch til they tell you which one they want. You'll get hung a few times til you learn how deep to allow it to go, and then it's just putting fish in the box. Don't pass any wood in or emerging from shallow water during the spawn. #4 hook is my first choice but the #6 has landed me a lot of big fish and gets hung less. Once you get the hang of it, you can move to #4 sickle if you like. I landed 29 this morning on a #6, had 1 come off at the boat when I tried to swing one that was lip hooked. Too lazy to get the net. 4lb hi vis line helps cast the little jigs and see the bites. Line does anything you didn't tell it to, set the hook.
Crappie spawn in thick brush in the lake I fish. Casting to them is no no because of the brush. Most of the spawning grounds are in 2 to 4ft of water so pitching them plastics is the best method. I use 1/24 ball head jigs with Mr Crappie Shadpoles this time of year. Sometimes we fish for them along rip rap. I use a Lunker City fin-s-shad under a slip float. I cast this set up parallel to the bank and work it back to the boat. Sometimes those crappie are less than 2ft from the bank and you can over alot more water by casting parallel to the bank.
I walk the rip rap or wade in the brush myself for spawning fish, just like Uncle Wally told me to on his youtube video and it is very effective. use a 10 foot plus pole and you can probe all the cover and keep the jig right where you want and feel it without having to fool with controlling a boat. with the long pole on the rocks where they are spawning just move it back and forth, color doesn't matter much and keep it small, 16th down to 32nd. Pull your jig to tip of long rod and put it into small openings in the brush, drop it just below surface as it is often in foot or two of water and FEEL THE THUMP! it's a lot of fun, you can use your hunting rubber boots or even water shoes and shorts and it is like your a lil kid again.
best thing is I fish where NO ONE else fishes and they drive right past me constantly, as the area is too shallow to get a boat in, lots of brush and junk and no noticeable parking spot. no competition at all and rarely have to go more than 50 feet to catch all i want, can come back with the wife or friend couple hours later and it is reloaded, ready to go again.
[QUOTE=Grainraiser;3395692]Crappie spawn in thick brush in the lake I fish. Casting to them is no no because of the brush. Most of the spawning grounds are in 2 to 4ft of water so pitching them plastics is the best method. I use 1/24 ball head jigs with Mr Crappie Shadpoles this time of year. Sometimes we fish for them along rip rap. I use a Lunker City fin
down the bank is the ticket for sure ....
[QUOTE=Ketchn;3396092]For sure Outlaw, they go crazy along the riprap shore spawning at twain and T hill. Have caught quick limits with the wives just hanging long poles near shore from boat or from bank. lot of fun and crazy action without any skill at all when it's right. they attack aggressively then.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grainraiser
DBD CB's do nothing retrieve seems counter intuitive for crappie as they feed UP, not down on bottom. Is that effective for you? or do you need to modify that and bring it off bottom and swim it? Just curious as really want to get into weedless jig fishing in cover. thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Yes, swim it off the bottom at whatever depth the crappie are holding. I never fish the bottom for crappie.Quote:
Originally Posted by hdhntr
I like a 1/16th oz Road Runner head with a curly tail body. I use an ultra light rod and 4 lb test, can cast a mile with this rig. I just use a simple cast and retrieve, no magic to it. Sometimes I might hop it or vary the speed or stop and start to see if any of that seems to trigger more bites but most of the time I just use a slow steady retrieve just fast enough to turn the blade on the RR.
Retrieve really depends on where the crappie are holding. I fish some areas up along weed edges and lilly pads. Casting jigs and plastics in these areas is how we catch most of our fish. Some days it is a straight retrieve. Other days, it is a crank, pop pop on the rod, led the bait fall a second, then do it again. Jig size really depends on several variables. Weight depends on how far you are casting, how far you want the bait to drop, how quickly you want it to drop, the wind, the waves, type of bait used, size of bait used etc...
Average for me is a 1/16oz oz jig. Typically, the above scenario is casting in to a depth of 6 feet and then retrieving back to a depth overtop of 15 or 16 feet (from a boat). Hook size on the jig also really depends on the type and size of baits I am using. My go to bait is a 2" Big Bite Shad in normal colors. Second to that is a Big Bite twister tail in several different colors depending on the water color of the body of water I am fishing.
Many of the baits out there on the market do NOT work in every location. Ok, they might catch a few here or there. Basically, what our fish eat in Michigan is vastly different then what is available to them in Mississippi. Most important for me is the action of the bait. What the tail does in relationship to what i am doing to the bait while retrieving.
If I was fishing from shore, I would more than likely start with a 1/32 or smaller bait. Reason is it is reverse of what i am doing above in the boat scenario. I am casting in to deeper water and retrieving to the shallows. My target catch zone might be in the 4ft of water range.