Comments on How to Catch Crappie

In spring, when the water temperature rises above 55F for the first time (Feb, March and April), fish shallow for spawning fish. They will spawn in 6 inches out to 3 feet of water. They really love cypress knees when spawning. The key is to use the lightest jig head possible, 1/16 is the best. The best bait I have ever used for crappie is a 1.5 inch (pearl color) bass assassin with a 1/16 chartreuse head. In summer crappie will suspend in deeper water chasing shad. The best way to catch them is to troll. I like to troll several rods using 2 mister twisters per line. You will need to use a weight that will keep the bait down to the correct depth. Use several poles at different depths to locate the fish. Once you have found the fish, set all the other poles at that depth. In winter crappie move deep. They will move to creek channels and deep holes in the lake. The best way to catch them is to use a small spinning reel on a 12 foot jig pole ridged with 6 pound line. I like the Hi Vis Gold line made by Stren. You almost always have to have a depth finder to locate structure in the deep water. Once you have located structure, position the boat directly into the wind and use a 1/8 jig head tipped with a minnow. Depending on the depth you need to fish, you might need to add a slip shot a foot up the line to get the bait down. The fish could be near the top of the structure or near the bottom of it. Use the Bass Assassin tipped with a minnow, it is a excellent bait. Good luck!

In the evening, just as the sun is going down, I've caught scores of these little suckers on a bare hook. No kidding!

It has been my experience that a crappie (when active) will eat almost anything. One nice spring day, we ran out of minnows at 10 AM, and we thought our day was through. I tied on a white 1/4 ounce jig with a bright pink head and began jigging at a moderate speed. Three hours later we caught and released around 100 crappie. That is ten times the amount of the morning, and I spent 8 dollars on minnows.

to catch more crappie, use any bait you want, just use a feathered 16 ounce jig head.it works very well for other people and myself.

I found that the trick with crappie is using a single egg hook. Make sure you put your bait on tight enough that they can't nibble it off. Throw bread into the water to create a bit of a feeding frenzy (if you can see them) and then cast out with your little piece and one of them will try to snatch it away.

Using a depth finder, locate how deep the fish are, then using a jig with either a white grub or a black grub with a chartreuse (bright green) tail, set the depth of the jig using weights 1-2 ft up the line. Cast out about 4-8 lines and using a trolling motor, troll around the lake at a slow to medium speed and catch all the crappie you want!

Try using dead minnows. It really works!

Try using a lipless crankbait, preferably a chrome colored one. I tried this and it worked GREAT!

In the evening, just as the sun is going down, I've caught scores of these little suckers on a bare hook. No kidding!