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Can't tell you how many bags of 1 1/2" & 2" plastics I have, in various styles & colors. Just curious if anyone uses larger sizes, i.e.: 3" & 4" curly tails? Not sure why I don't use these larger sizes. My late Father-In-Law always used the 3" size when crappie fishing. He did well back then too. Wondering if it's worth the time/effort to try again? Thanks! :)
At times the bigger baits work great....IMO they are a great tool to have available....
Have thought about it a lot. Have not pulled the trigger.
Sometimes a bigger bait makes the difference
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More sound, more vibration, more water displacement can be key to coaxing fish out of thick cover. That said, for us, it is regional. We might not see that size of fry or bait fish in one specific body of water so we tend to run a little smaller. Then again, we have black crappies too so that plays a role.
The opposite can be a welcome change as well . I fished 20 yrs. with a 1/16 being the smallest thing in my box .Largest was 1/8 . Now 1 - 3 inch plastics and jig heads 1/100-1/4 .
You will never know if you don/t try. They work for me.:crazy:
Never use curl tails and never soft plastic lures over 2 1/2".
I use 3'' Arkie tubes all the time vertical jigging
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Hmmm.....bass tubes! Interesting. :)
I use a zoom 3 inch alewife colored fluke on a big eye jighead for Large crappie. In the fall and winter. I was fishing a large school of spotted bass with this and vertical jigging. Caught a ton of spotted bass , but, I also caught 18 1and 3/4 to 2 and 3/4 pound crappie. Have been using this bait for a while when targeting large crappie. Seems to be a deep water bait. Start on bottom and quiver it up the water column. Surprising how close to the bottom the big ones are. This is on Toledo Bend.
i have also noticed river fish tend to eat bigger baits than lake fish. dont be afraid of those 3"ers.
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Even the little guys try chomping this bait down..
I wish I hadn't read this post. I just ordered 400 Arkie 2 1/2" tube jigs for next spring. I'm staying with gnats and minnows
for this fall.
When to use larger lures:
1. when the bite is very aggressive like before and during a light rain
2. depending on the lake. Some waters are underfished and hold larger crappie than the norm for that region. Larger fish have no qualms striking larger lures.
Generally speaking, IMO, a size range is usually good to stay with when it comes to crappie no matter the water. Lure design is another matter.
My size range depending on water temperature is 1.5"-2.5"; I use 10 lure designs equally in that range with equal results (fish caught).
I run the whole show myself ...sometimes in the late summer and fall really large baits are really good
and btw ...just yesterday I dropped a whopper stopper ….just saying :highfive
I have to question this. IF - crappie are affected by cold fronts the way bass are? In our last report, it showed this to be in question to some degree.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoonminnow
We had just had a very severe cold front (thunder storms and heavy downpours) come through after a 7 day heat wave (with temps during that period well over 90 deg.). Air started out on this particular day at 51 degrees with blue bird skies. Supposedly awful condition for fishing (from a bass fisherman's point of view). Yet we had a good day with the larger, gawdy colored combinations proving to be very productive. Fishing never ceases to amaze me! :)
https://www.crappie.com/crappie/the-new-england-states/377591-report-7-7-18-a/
I catch very few crappie on small natural colored baits....mainly white crappie where I fish and they like larger baits and crazy color combinations.
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If they will swallow a 4 in crank bait then a 3 in plastic is a snack to them.