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If you fellows are fishing a lake that is not known for BIG crappie, how do you rig for smaller profile baits, sometimes when I drop a 1/8 oz bait with a Bobby garland baby shad on it seems like the fish run from it. Should I go with a split shot of lead and a 1/32 oz jig. But when I do that I get more tangled up than fishing. Just looking for examples to what you would do in this situation.+Cross+
Trimming the baits down should help …
how much should I trim down, it all ready looks like a big headed jig. With a 1/8 oz jig head. Do you think it would help?Quote:
Originally Posted by BuckeyeCrappie
:hesaid and use lighter weight jig if possible. I've noticed if dropping to fast on them it can scare them.
Thanks fellows.
Unless in heavy cover I use a smaller jig weight and tiny bait with split shot above if needed. If in heavier cover about 1/16 small as I go. Livescope helps so you see the structure and stay above it.
If I use a lighter bait and I need a split shot, how far up should it be.
No set rule for this. Maybe 12" or 18" or whatever you think. More movement of bait and potential loss of contact (feel) with more space though. Livescope helps because when you see a fish near a slow steady raise helps keep contact with bait.
Instead of adding a split shot would a double rig with jigs be better, double your chances for success.
I like small 1/32 oz. hair jigs. Depending on depth of fish and how much wind I'm dealing with as to how big of a weight to use. Usually start with a !/4 oz. but may go as heavy as a 1/2 oz.
Bobby Garland makes some Itty Bit baits. About half the size of a baby shad. They work well on pressured fish
If I'm flippin jigs with Livescope ... yes, I do use a double jig rig. I normally use two 1/16oz heads. Top jig on a loop knot, bottom jig tied with an Improved Clinch. Shows up better and you can follow them easier on screen. Most interest will be on the bottom jig, but there are times when the top jig will catch'em. Then there's the occasional "double" :Quote:
Originally Posted by Danny Lang
https://www.crappie.com/crappie/atta...6d32e9403-jpeg
hey slab does that big weight like a 1/4 or 1/2 oz scare the fish, that’s a pretty big profile for a lake that doesn’t have big fish.Quote:
Originally Posted by slabbandit
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePappy
crappie pappy now you got it going on there, I will have to try the double rig. Thanks
Not sure that size matters to any size crappie as long as lure shape and action fall into what fish accept as attackable.
1. Does the lure move slow enough to p.o. fish of any species in the lake you fish? Fish-at-rest conserve energy and unless fish are in the attack mode, need a bit of encouragement either with lures worked in place or with repeated casts to spots.
2. Certain action/shapes do exceptionally well no matter when and where fished and in fact outcatch most lures ever made. Many of those have been shown on crappie.com - including the soft plastics I modify. What do they represent to fish? Who cares as long as fish attack.
A good lure shape/action catch every size and species of fish but in a size range that completes that lures appeal whether very small to medium.
3. Place & time is number 1 regardless of the lure cast. Few or no fish in that part of the lake? No lure matters.
4. Weight of course matters when it comes to presentation. Again, slow gets it done for me 100% of the time!. You can get away with using 1/8 oz or heavier jigs in deeper water or in current, but lures rigged on that weight are generally retrieved faster at mid depth whether in 2.5' or 10'. For depths between 2-10', my jig weight preference is 1/64 - 1/16oz.
Large lures (longer but still thin) may do very well when rigged on a 1/32 oz jig with a 1/0 hook but don't do as well using heavier jigs. Take the Kut Tail worm for example that is retrieve jerk-style mid-depth.
Attachment 459675 Attachment 459676
Longer than most lures crappie anglers cast, but all sizes of fish attack it because of its unique action.
So in conclusion, lure size and jig weight that complement lure action at a certain speed and type retrieve are key for lure choice. Small lures are very capable of catching big fish no matter the time of year, but how small is really needed?
Thanks spoonminnow o wish I knew some of those baits your talking about that out catch more than any other, surely would help with confidence.
if you are light handed and pretty sure you won't find a 15 incher , 4 lb test and 1/32 should be the go to ....
my 27 cents on it
Confidence in a lure is the first consideration before casting it. Catch no fish or far fewer fish than other lures, and that lure gets stored for good never again to see the light of day (unless, of course, I see someone catch fish with it :Doh:).
no doubt , many a jig has sat forever and even been given away ,,,,,until ,,,"that day" .....:RoflQuote:
Originally Posted by Spoonminnow
I like the crappie magnet the most in waters with smaller fish (work in all waters ). I use the cross lock jig heads with a 1/16 on bottom and a 1/32 a foot and a half above that . A larger split shot can be added if wind is an issue . I carry 16 colors of this simple but deadly bait .