Crappie Nibbles / Slab Bites -- why don't fish eat them?

I definitely believe in using them. Both seem to perform similarly. Slab bites will dry out faster than Crappie Nibbles (not in the jar, but when I keep a few out on the boat. Crappie Nibbles seem to be more of a dough and Slab Bites feel a little plastic-like (especially after sitting out in the sun for a few mins).

Anyway, onto the actual question. I've noticed that when finding a bed (and catching several fish), there will be a few slab bites floating around and nothing ever comes to eat them. Crappie Nibbles don't float, so it's not as obvious, but I've tossed them out to fish I could see and they don't eat them. I don't even see them taste them and then spit them out. They seem to ignore them once they've just "sat there". Perhaps the fish just need that movement to get them interested, but I just expected the fish to gobble them up.

Oddly, if I drop a tiny treble hook with just a nibble, I can catch all the tiny bluegills I want for catfish bait. Also, bluegills are notorious for hitting the moving baits and "stealing" the crappie nibbles off jigs and small spinners.

Anyone else notice this behavior and have any thoughts on "why"?

Movement to simulate being alive vs just floating there???? :dono

Use Slab Sauce and avoid having nibble robbed off hook when they start doing that.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

Movement to simulate being alive vs just floating there???? :dono

Use Slab Sauce and avoid having nibble robbed off hook when they start doing that.

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Just floating (they were knocked off the hook when bringing the fish in). The nibbles/bites add color though, which is usually a good thing.

As an avid crappie fisherman with 2 years on livescope i use the crappie nibbles religiously. Some days are better than others but feel for a fact i get better results using them along with my slab sauce on all my jigs, Especially plastic. I tie my own jigs and the nibbles add a little color and those crappie like to nip. That nibble many times makes the difference. I've done many experiments with and without. I think they are another tool. Attachment 379133Attachment 379132Attachment 379134Attachment 379135Attachment 379136Attachment 379137Attachment 379138

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I try crappie bite's but haven't clue if they really work!

Spray some "G" sauce or "Slab" sauce in the jar. It will keep them from drying out and the fish will love the sauce on them.

Mike

Berkley crappie nibbles if thats what you are talking about do get eaten .
matter of fact i had a real friendly turtle one year at one spot that came to me when i showed up just to get a few pitched his way .
and to be sure i seen those little white balls go poof out of view when they sink into fish at visible depths .
heck i know some guys that are pretty fair on large crappie
and when they see fish on the graph in the timber
they toss a few around the tree before they drop jigs .
as far as the floating ones i have no clue as i never used them .
my 27 cents if you will

(IMHO) I believe you enhance the catching ability of a lure by adding a scent. To the fish if it looks good,smells good and taste good you get bit.

Again, I use them. I believe they make a big difference. I get more bites with them than without them. I just expected the fish to snap them up by themselves.

I think there are two schools of thought on the spray treatments. Are they an attractant or a masking agent? My totally SWAG is that they are a masking agent. I always throughly spray a new bait, and after I catch the first fish I don’t worry about it again. My catch rate seems very good. This is in warm water stream fishing. Other venues may be different, and I haven’t used nibbles or anything like that. I just want to mask anything I’m adding to the bait or the manufacturer that could turn the fish off.
Bob

I’ve not tried slab sauce,but I’ve been using crappie nibbles for three years,IMHO, nibbles absolutely work.Im use now venturing into the world of gulp minnows,wat I do know is my catch ratio has improved since using a scent with lures.

In the world of scents ,the shall we say scientific way to decide if one is good or not to ketch fish with here is what a bait/scent manufacturer told me about how he developed a well known scent brand he sells today .
think about it in this type of scenario
1 ...there is positive scent , fish go to it and inspect it and it ATTRACTS them
2 ...there is neutral scent , fish dont have a noticeable reaction to it either way
3 ...there is negative scent , fish avoid it and dont care for it .
some of the things fish smell in the water that they like amazes me , my wife about got pulled of the dock the other day goofing around and putting some of the kids strawberry twizzler on her hook ! we never saw what goliath hit it but to be sure it almost broke some tackle before it escaped . i think it was likely a big carp but to be sure it liked it strawberry scented sugary candy :Rofl
Remember Fle Fly lure flavor ? aka :bubblegum" it works , i know for sure .
And Slab sauce in the garlic version , good stuff right there .
fish have nostrils and they use them for sure :cheers2

I feel like if my jig doesn't have a glow white nibble on it I don't have a bait on. My partner never uses them and catches as many as I do.

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I gave my assortment of crappie nibbles away after I started using Slab Sauce and G Sauce.