For Those That Have Been Crappie For Awhile

Hello Fellow Crappie Lovers-

Do you long time crappie anglers still continue to buy jigs even though you have amassed a large assortment of all types of jigs that has filled many storage containers and tackle boxes or have you settled down and just use what works best for you?

Thanks for reading and mass thanks for replying.

Fish On!

I've stopped buying. It doesn't take long before you get more than you can fish in a lifetime anyway.

The 'ol Bait Monkey rode around on my shoulders for decades, and I've given away or still have remnants of those days that almost equal what I currently carry to the lakes. I can't say I've purchased anything "fishing related" in quite a few years, so maybe the Bait Monkey got bored and moved on to someone else.

Twenty or so years ago I would get upset at losing a jig on a snag or tearing one up (for whatever reason), but since then and especially over the last ten or so years ... I don't even give it a second thought. I'm just like ... okay, let me dig in the bag and get another one of those and go on about my business.

I may buy or try a new jig when I use up my existing supply that has been working, although I don't have a rack of unopened inventory sitting around. Most of the lures that are sitting in a cabinet and not in my boat are for different species--bass and catfish--and will get swapped out if need be if I plan to fish for something other than crappie. As I've discovered, the crankbaits that I keep in the boat for pulling can be used for most whatever apparently....

I'm a sucker for buying jigs of too many sizes any colors I guess. Plastics are even worse. You can wind up with just bags and bags of those.

I give my son and another guy I fish with some jigs out of each package I buy when its a new color or size or whatever.

I think many are guilty of buying too many varieties. When I started kayak fishing I simplified big time. Only 1/16 oz jigs and 3 colors of 1.5" tubes and everything fit in vest pocket box. Did well focusing on depth and presentation.

Now that I'm in a regular bass style boat, I've got full storage bins with wide range of colors, sizes, and jig weights. Its hard not to remember "that" day where particular size/weight/color seemed to work better. But its impossible to try every combination on any particular day. I really try to stay within my core on any given day...

I quit! I’m like Pappy, giving away more than I kept for the most part.

I still buy a few of what I like to use the most , only because I have lost or given away the original versions , of course I have literally thousands of them in various locations thru out my garage and will probably never have the time to give all them away and do not "need" to buy anymore , the addiction still kicks in from time to time :Rofl

I have been making my own jigs for 32 years and counting and will never have enough even though I have many thousands on hand, more if you count the bass and trout jigs. Probably made over 500,000 jigs since I started tying but still keep cranking them out. When I'm gone there will be plenty of jigs, spinnerbaits and more for my children, grandkids and great grandchildren to fish with.

Like most, I have a small tackle shop when you gather it up. I pour my own so the only heads I buy are ones I don’t have the mold for or some that are already painted and ready to use when I don’t have time to make before I fish. I also give away that which I no longer reach for or what someone has a need for and I have extras. My storage is now limited since I’ve moved so organization is now a thing I have to pay attention to. Side note, when I bring a guest I usually tell them to bring their rods and whatever jigs/lures they can’t live without. There’s always plenty in my box.

I never was one to buy every jig that came out . Used Southern Pro Umbrella tubes in purple/chartreuse over 90% of the time for many years . Since livescope I figured out more about presentation than jigs. Over a year I been tying trash jigs (bare unpainted lead heads with shopping bags tied on).:Rofl You can search my posts about trash jigs for more than a year . Here is one example .

https://www.crappie.com/crappie/cont...ked-all-season

Arkansas Extreme Outdoors has some Crappie videos on youtube https://youtu.be/me3kyt3Lv-w?si=Evz3EcCOd0uCZPJY

Finally down sized and stopped buying unless I run out of a certain jig . I still could get by with 6 jig bodies on a pink head . Tackle bag got to be 25 lbs . or felt like it . Attachment 507746

Give me an unpainted ball head jig (no sickle hook please) and I'm a fish-catching machine! It always pays to have the right weight paired with the right hook size paired to the lures I'll use. I have jigs sorted and ready to replace ones lost to breakoffs or pickerel.
Like most of you, I have more jigs than I could ever use in a lifetime. I don't carry more than I need and have a few of each wt./hook size combinations that I'll need for certain lures.

The only jigs I would buy are certain weights I'm running out of and hard to fine.

I don’t buy a lot of jig head anymore, only use the ones that work best for me in various weights from 1, 1.5, 2 grams. On the other hand I always buy more plastic in different color or shape.

I just refill what I’m getting low on each year. Which is usually only 3 or 4 colors. Have about 24 different color grubs but usually use black and chartreuse or monkey milk. Have a box of southern pro and a box of Bobby garland grubs. Then have three boxes of jig heads. One for each weight 1/32 1/16 1/8 with 5 colors of each.