How to Tie Crappie Lures
Crappies, which are pursued by fishermen across the United States, are a silver and black speckled panfish at home in water of all temperatures. Unlike some panfish species, crappie prefer to strike moving bait, which makes lures and jigs a common choice. Lures tied with marabou feathers that pulsate in the water are particularly attractive to crappie; white and red are favorite colors. Add a flash of silver and an effective crappie lure is created.
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Things You'll Need
- Fly tying vise
- Thread bobbin
- Fly tying scissors
- Bodkin
- Red monocord fly tying thread
- 5X long straight eye streamer hooks – size 8
- Silver flat tinsel
- White and red marabou feathers
- Fly head cement
- In-line snap on spinners – size 1
Instructions
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1
Set up the fly tying vise on the edge of a table. Open the vice jaws and close them over the bend of the hook so the shank of the hook is parallel to the table.
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2
Attach the red monocord spool of thread to the thread bobbin and run the end of the thread up through and out the spout.
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3
Lay the end of the thread on the hook shank just behind the eye, hold the bobbin and lock the end of the thread down to the hook's shank by wrapping over the end with the bobbin thread (wrap away from yourself). Wrap the thread around the hook’s shank all the way to where the bend of the hook begins.
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4
Wrap the thread back toward the eye. Using the diameter of the hook's eye as a measuring gauge, stop wrapping the thread at a point behind the eye that is equal to twice the diameter of the eye. Let the bobbin hang by the thread.
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5
Point the end of the tinsel toward you and place it across the hook’s shank where the thread is hanging. Pick up the bobbin and tie the tinsel to the shank with three wraps of thread and let the bobbin hang again.
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6
Wrap the tinsel along the hook’s shank (wrapping away from you) with each wrap touching the wrap before it. Continue to where the thread wraps stop. Then wrap the tinsel back over itself to its starting point. Pick up the bobbin and tie the tinsel down with four wraps of thread and let the bobbin hang again. Cut the tinsel off flush with the hook shank.
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7
Pinch between the thumb and forefinger all of the feather strands on one side of a white marabou feather’s stem. Cut off the pinched strands flush with the stem.
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8
Hold the cut strands of the feather so the butt ends are aligned on the hook’s shank between the tinsel and the hook's eye. The goal is to have the strands' tips extend past the hook’s bend a distance equivalent to half the length of the hook’s shank. Once positioned, tie the butt ends to the shank with six wraps of thread.
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9
Pick a red marabou feather with strands equally as long as the white strands. Cut the strands off one side of the feather just as with the white feather. Lay the red strands on top of the white strands stretching along the hook's shank, and tie the butt ends of the red marabou strands over the white butt ends on the hook with six wraps of thread.
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10
Wrap the thread over the butt ends of the marabou feather going toward the back of the hook’s eye. Trim loose bits of feather and begin forming the head of the lure by wrapping the thread from the eye to where the tinsel is tied down. Form a cone shaped head with the small end against the hook’s eye; the number of wraps will depend on how many it takes to create a symmetrical head that covers the marabou ends. Spin three half hitches, one at a time, and pull them down into the head, let the bobbin hang from the thread.
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11
Dip the needle tip of the bodkin into the fly head cement and thoroughly coat the head, allow a minute to dry and cut the thread flush with the head. Snap a spinner onto the hook’s eye and the lure is complete.
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Tips & Warnings
Experiment with combinations of red and white marabou and thread. Fluorescent or hot pink is also a good color for crappie; many combinations can be created with these three colors.
Use only the straight eye hooks; the traditional eye down fly tying hooks don’t work properly with the spinner.
This lure can be fished by trolling slowly, casting with a straight retrieve, or casting and working it back in jerks like a jig.
Due to the fluffy feathers and bright colors these lures are attractive to cats and children. Keep these lures away from small children and pets or they could end up with the hook buried in their flesh.
References
- “The Complete Book of Tackle Making;” C. Boyd Pfeiffer; March 1999
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
