HELP a minnow fisherman learn about jig fishing!

Hey guys, I hope everyone is having a good spring crappie season!
As the title states I have used always been a minnow fisherman and I want to get into the wonderful world of jigs! I have always been intimidated by all the different color combinations, jig head colors, spinners, and style of jigs; there are literally thousands of combinations out there! For me it has always been easier to tie on a minnow and they either bite or they dont. So I guess my questions are:
-How do you choose your jig head color, and if you want to use a road runner style or just a plain jig head?
-How do you decide on jig body type?
-What determines jog color selection, and color combinations?
-When you are not catching fish, how do you know if its the color you're using, the style you're using, or if the fish are just not there?

Sorry for all the questions, but I have always been very interested in using jigs, just to intimidated and scared to try it!
Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

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Originally Posted by jangle

Hey guys, I hope everyone is having a good spring crappie season!
As the title states I have used always been a minnow fisherman and I want to get into the wonderful world of jigs! I have always been intimidated by all the different color combinations, jig head colors, spinners, and style of jigs; there are literally thousands of combinations out there! For me it has always been easier to tie on a minnow and they either bite or they dont. So I guess my questions are:
-How do you choose your jig head color, and if you want to use a road runner style or just a plain jig head?
-How do you decide on jig body type?
-What determines jog color selection, and color combinations?
-When you are not catching fish, how do you know if its the color you're using, the style you're using, or if the fish are just not there?

Sorry for all the questions, but I have always been very interested in using jigs, just to intimidated and scared to try it!
Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

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Anytime anybody asks this question, I post the same thing. It's all you need to know, and it's been working for me for over forty years:

Charlie Brewer's Slider Company - Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Weedless Crappie Slider "Why&How"

You can use any jig body and color you like, since they all work. Depth and speed is what's most important.

Thanks for the link! Definitely some good info there!

Crappie are fickle beasts. Spider rig or long line with a buffet of different colors and you will see that color does make a difference. They may change preference every couple of hours but they normally will show a preference.

So far as what I start with, darker colors in low light (morning, evening or cloud cover) and lighter colors during daylight. Water clarity also plays a factor. So far as jig head colors, I go with something that is a stark contrast to the body color that I'm using but don't stray too far from pink, blue, lime green or chartreuse.

How many truly rig their jigs in this way? As the old saying goes, if you ain't hung up, you ain't fishing.

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Originally Posted by Sims

How many truly rig their jigs in this way? As the old saying goes, if you ain't hung up, you ain't fishing.

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Sorry I need to ask ...which way?

Charlie Brewer weedless jig. I've never rigged this way and maybe I missing out.

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Originally Posted by Sims

Charlie Brewer weedless jig. I've never rigged this way and maybe I missing out.

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It's very weedless, but the most important part of that link is the "how" portion. You can use any bait you like rigged weedless or non-weedless.

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Originally Posted by Sims

Charlie Brewer weedless jig. I've never rigged this way and maybe I missing out.

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I use this rig for crappie and bass. Guess for about 15 years. I won't say it's the absolute best but it is certainly ties for best

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

In addition to what Deathb4disco posted at the link, I'd offer the following:

Pre-spawn (and early/late in day post spawn until hot weather) we do awfully well casting road runners in shallows. Especially in ponds, around cover in lakes or near drop offs in rocky lakes. Early season you'd be surprised how shallow you'll find them. Pink or red head with white marabou in clear water/high sun, chart head black/chart body in murky water/dark skies. Secret is fishing them ssslloowwllyy.....

As to jigs - we use plain leadheads with tubes or grubs and do best with 3 colors (perhaps because they are the ones we fish the most) - pink/black, black/chart, red /chart. We have never found a pattern re: light or water clarity (but we don't fish 3x week like the hard core folks do). Sometimes we fish them straight down with a little wiggle at the target depth, sometimes we cast and crawl them back, we often fish them under a slip bobber (very deadly for neutral/negative bites).

But we do like drowning minnows as well !!!!!!!

I like a tube in the spring. I cast, vertical jig or cork them. Midsouth super jigs is my choice for tubes. They have a very large selection of colors but my favorites are 702gl, 1512, 108, 902, and 410. I seem to go through a lot of the 702gl, which is orange and chartreuse that glows in the dark, just because all the rain in the spring usually makes the water I fish pretty muddy. In the summer I fish minnows on slip bobbers. Then in the fall when the water is cooling and they are feeding up for winter I use slab busters, I prefer the big slab busters but the regular ones work too. My main colors are black/chartreuse, orange/chartreuse and blue/pearl white. Don't over look scent on your jig. When I use the tubes I will inject them with crappie nibbles using a medicine giver from children's ibuprofren. I like the platinum color for my nibbles. The slab busters already come garlic scented so I don't do anything to them. As for a jig head in the spring when fishing shallow under a cork or vertical fishing shallow I like a 1/16 white jig head made by arkie that you can buy at Walmart or if the wind is blowing my line too much I'll up size to a 3/32 that we make and it's just a plane lead head.

Well, your question is kind of open ended. There are a lot of ways to "jig fish". My fishing buddy and I almost always tightline troll pushing jigs ahead of the boat. No minnows, ever. We found out long ago they are not necessary.

But color makes a HUGE difference. Huge. It is the difference between a good day and getting skunked.

Tom

I would say start off with a crappie jig of choice under a float in your local spawn area when its on . Color wont matter much and the depth under the float will be not much to speak of and by the time the spawn is over you will be well on your way to ketchn crappie with a jig .
don't move the float rig to fast and lots of times bright jig colors will get it done . as far as the rest of the year winter time in deep waters holding really still is a super easy way to build up confidence as well with a jig .
other seasons call for other options many times and some of it is just hit and miss and experimenting with what works . depth is critical in many cases and scents play a major roll in lots of spots .
luck to ya