The we don't care tribe .....

We for sure don't care if they are small , we just want bites .....
there is a zero difference between a lil fish bite and a big fish bite, most of the time ....
heck it often seems the bite is way harder on a little fish as well ....
we almost never kill them anyway and don't care what size they are ....
is yours bigger than mine ?,,,,,if so congrats ,,,, just saying
ketch fish is ketchn fish ....in case ya dint know :Rofl
and for sure the KABOOM continues ....:highfive
he casted and retrieved his jig slowly
me used a float and let mine wind drift
he got mad at all the fish he missed , while I chuckled at him and he wanted to leave ...:yikes
I got happy at a fish every cast and wanted to stay ....:Rofl
sometimes it is what it is ....
p.s. I tried a yum white curly tail and got the tail bit off FIRST cast , used it with a bit off tail and they loved it , go figure

Good job. He probably couldn’t retrieve it slow enough for their liking.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

Good job. He probably couldn’t retrieve it slow enough for their liking.

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That's why I'm moving to the slip float in colder water. Just got the last pack of 1/32 white and 1/16 chartreuse white marabou jigs at wally world, gonna try at the pond tomorrow. Bill Dance has a video on slip floating for crappie, I think it was in 40 degree water. He said he didn't know a better way to get the bait in front of the fish and keep it there when they're inactive or lethargic due to cold. I've read that crappie will bite up and just hold the bait, and the float will not always go down, and you'll miss bites if you don't strike when the bobber ticks. I've noticed when fishing live minnows that the bobber will kind of thump, then start to move off. With a jig they you may just see the bobber thump but not move, but they have it. I've also seen where you can use a bobber to where it turns up when they hit it, or something like that

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Originally Posted by Happyfisherman

I've also seen where you can use a bobber to where it turns up when they hit it, or something like that

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Yes ... you're referring to the "float-n-fly" method. The story on that is that Crappie anglers were using bobber/jig rigs for Crappie, and were catching a lot of Smallmouth Bass. Word got out and the basser boys took over and made that method their Winter time Smallmouth method of choice. They even made up, or used, specialized equipment for that method. One of those "specialized" pieces of equipment is a weighted float, but the weight is NOT at the bottom of the float. It is, in fact, in the upper portion of the float. This way, when the fish takes the jig, therefore removing the downward drag of the jig's weight, the float will "fall over" (from the weight in the upper portion of the float).

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Originally Posted by Happyfisherman

That's why I'm moving to the slip float in colder water. Just got the last pack of 1/32 white and 1/16 chartreuse white marabou jigs at wally world, gonna try at the pond tomorrow. Bill Dance has a video on slip floating for crappie, I think it was in 40 degree water. He said he didn't know a better way to get the bait in front of the fish and keep it there when they're inactive or lethargic due to cold. I've read that crappie will bite up and just hold the bait, and the float will not always go down, and you'll miss bites if you don't strike when the bobber ticks. I've noticed when fishing live minnows that the bobber will kind of thump, then start to move off. With a jig they you may just see the bobber thump but not move, but they have it. I've also seen where you can use a bobber to where it turns up when they hit it, or something like that

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when I teach people how to use a float , I explain in depth the 5 or 6 different "bites" that occur , some or so very subtle it is simply amazing , about half of the bites will in fact go undetected with a slip float , pretty much never use one myself , one connection to the line is key ....less line contact is a must to master float ketchn for sure ....this is for sure a fact :highfive

I've been using a slip bobber a little more than usual lately and have had similar issues detecting bites. On a few of the days when there was a decent wind, I've let it sit and let the small chop on the water be the only movement of the jig. I've caught a couple where the bobber didn't go down but just turned a little sideways, but most of the time, something about the bobber "just didn't look quite right", and I'd set the hook and catch them. Been using the slip bobber because I've been changing depths a good bit, but it also makes a huge difference in being able to cast, if it's set pretty deep, and it's windy. Great topic!

Bill Dance said in his video adding a split shot above the jig helps prevent the fish from swimming upward with the bait. Another comment on here said if the bobber does anything you didnt want it too, set the hook. That may be more difficult with a lot of wind, but I don't typically float fish if it's real windy anyways. But a little chop on the water will give the bait plenty of action beneath

“They usually don’t take it under,” Pitts said about float-and-fly crappie bites. “Eighty percent of the time they’ll just roll the float over on its side even just bump it.”

Paying careful attention is critical, therefore, as is float selection. You need a sensitive well-balanced float that stands up when the jig is hanging naturally but transmits even the slightest movements of bait hanging beneath it.

A Thill Oval Shorty spring float is sized right for the task, and its balsa construction provides the critical sensitivity. The oval shape and short bottom stem also allow this style of float to track straight when you work the rig.

Pitts watches his float all the time and sets the hook with a quick snap any time the float turns sidewise of bobs even slightly.

How to Catch Crappie Witht the Float & Fly Technique

Some very nice ones there, Ketchn. That last one looks like it survived an attack. One of your favorite birds?
Bob

KABOOM!

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Originally Posted by Happyfisherman

“They usually don’t take it under,” Pitts said about float-and-fly crappie bites. “Eighty percent of the time they’ll just roll the float over on its side even just bump it.”

Paying careful attention is critical, therefore, as is float selection. You need a sensitive well-balanced float that stands up when the jig is hanging naturally but transmits even the slightest movements of bait hanging beneath it.

A Thill Oval Shorty spring float is sized right for the task, and its balsa construction provides the critical sensitivity. The oval shape and short bottom stem also allow this style of float to track straight when you work the rig.

Pitts watches his float all the time and sets the hook with a quick snap any time the float turns sidewise of bobs even slightly.

How to Catch Crappie Witht the Float & Fly Technique

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I know this about that , an oval float isn't the answer and it's much nearer to a 75% on gone under rate if your doing it right
pencil floats will kill an oval day in and out .....
a pencil float, one contact point and it needs to sit about halfway under the water line ....
to much buoyancy is your enemy for sure .....

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Originally Posted by BobC

Some very nice ones there, Ketchn. That last one looks like it survived an attack. One of your favorite birds?
Bob

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yes sir , he showed his ugly mug about 50 yards away , just neck and head ....looked at me like I was his enemy with a sideways glance as ....
I reached for a rock :Rofl

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I tried a yum white curly tail and got the tail bit off FIRST cast , used it with a bit off tail and they loved it , go figure

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I posted that suggestion a while back. Wasn't sure if anyone else did as well as me the first time I used it. I now have various
no-tail body designs I came up with that do great!

An open mind is the greatest tool an angler has.

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Originally Posted by Spoonminnow

I posted that suggestion a while back. Wasn't sure if anyone else did as well as me the first time I used it. I now have various
no-tail body designs I came up with that do great!

An open mind is the greatest tool an angler has.

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I'm gonna try trimming my used 2.5" Gulp minnows for reuse

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I'm gonna try trimming my used 2.5" Gulp minnows for reuse

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Something to get you started:

Attachment 498060 Attachment 498061 Attachment 498062 Attachment 498068

Two bodies joined together by melting the end with a candle flame:
(Note the center hook)
Attachment 498064‹Attachment 498065 Attachment 498063Attachment 498066Attachment 498067

A few things to remember:
1. light jigs only
2. part of a plastic worm works
2. small diameter line (i/e/ 6# test braid) for best lure action.
4. these are strictly slow twitch & pause lures and catch fish regardless of activity level
5. they catch ANYTHING THAT SWIMS
6. I wouldn't be surprised they catch fish under the ice
7. If you have confidence in certain colors, use them. The above are just a few of my confidence colors.
8. Once you've caught fish with the no-action-tail grub, you will always have one rigged and ready.

Nice catch, and last time I checked they all eat the same.
Thanks for tips.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

I know what you mean. Some friends and I went out with a guide. As I was CLOSELY watching my bobber the guide said I had a bite. I was still watching my bobber when he said: reel him in, reel him in. So I started reeling and sure enough I had a fish on. I couldn't believe it. I swear I did not see the bobber move or even twitch. It happened 3 or 4 more time that day. Now I don't know how many crappie I may be missing when I go without a guide.

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Originally Posted by BobC

Some very nice ones there, Ketchn. That last one looks like it survived an attack. One of your favorite birds?
Bob

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Saw something floating in the water a couple years ago and went over there. It was a dead Cormorant with a 15" crappie stuck in its neck.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

Do you float users see the float in your dreams/nightmares? I use them for steelhead, but not for crappie anymore for this reason.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Noodle rod

Do you float users see the float in your dreams/nightmares? I use them for steelhead, but not for crappie anymore for this reason.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

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Haha, I definitely started catching more crappie when I lost the float and just started casting and slow retrieving. But chances are if you didn't see him tap your bobber, you wouldn't feel the tap when casting either, unless highly trained like that guide

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Originally Posted by Happyfisherman

Haha, I definitely started catching more crappie when I lost the float and just started casting and slow retrieving. But chances are if you didn't see him tap your bobber, you wouldn't feel the tap when casting either, unless highly trained like that guide

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When I use to only cast/retrieve a jig, I noticed the line doing things it shouldn't more often than feeling a thump (or even a "tic" from the light biters). If it "jumped", moved off to one side or the other, or went slack (& I knew it couldn't be on the bottom) my immediate reaction was a hookset !! Eight out of ten times that hookset stuck a fish. :ThumbsUp

Absolutely, if you don't watch your line you'll miss a lot of bites. I prefer throwing a 1/32 jig head with #6 or #4 hook because I can swim it it slower, but as with anything in life there's give and take. In windy situations it's better to go with a 1/16 jig head to keep better contact, but can't swim as slowly. But the bites I don't feel I see the line start moving to the side, the line will go slack, or I'll just feel extra pressure. Any of these I strike