Bait for crappie

[wny angler]

in the spring we catch a ton of crappie fishing a chartruse tube jig 2' under a small float--just toss it in and let the wave action work the bait.

[suskymusky]

I use 1/64 and 1/32 oz maribou jigs tipped with a waxie or a couple of spikes under a slip bobber. Give it a twitch every now and then with long pauses.It drives them nuts.

[mike692]

In open water I like a fathead or small shiner on a slip bobber. I've also had success on a fly rod with a streamer pattern.

[jigerjim]

Last fall I hamered them on a smallest
gitzet tube. I use a Castmaster 1/25oz for weight then put about 6" dropper and fished over the hump's. I find it work's better if you take the treble hook off the castmaster (no hook at all) Just vertacal jigging.

[Somers]

I prefer to use jigs/fatheads.  I find these prduce my biggest crappies.  The key I find w/ the jigs is to use those w/ all or at least some marabou feathers on them.  The marabou when wet will shimmy in a very lfe like manner w/ even the slightest breeze, jigging, waves, etc.  Try to hold a marabou jig absolutley still.  Impossible.  I like them better than tubes or curly tails.  I also tie them on w/a knot creating a loop just above the jig for maximun action.  A standard clinch knot causes the jig to hang unnaturally sometimes and requires much more jigging than the loop knot.

[sbfpa_Mike]

Somers,

     I like the marabou myself,  especially the pink and white.  How do you tie a knot with a loop?  Are there any sites out there that have the different knots?

[nuke1neil]

Somers,

     I like the marabou myself,  especially the pink and white.  How do you tie a knot with a loop?  Are there any sites out there that have the different knots?

I don't know the knot with a loop,but when I tie two or three jigs on the same line I use a dropper knot.A guy on ice shanty turned me on to it.It's a little tricky at first but is a great knot.If you go to google and search for "dropper knot", all kinds of sites come up with instructions.Some even are animated(can't remember the name of that one.)

[Jigwiggler]

check this out
http://www.marinews.com/fishing/Knots%20&%20Rigging/fk_droploop.htm
 
 Is this what you mean N1N?

[Sharpie]

I have had very good luck with Charlie Brewers sliders on 1/32 or 1/16 jig head.  The grub has good action, usually fish this under a bobber with spikes.

[can_of_worms]

We use waxies and fatheads 99.9% of the time. The key we found to getting them to really hammer the bait was to make sure that NONE of the hook was visible. We used to just hook the head of the waxie to let it float around nice, now we thread them on to cover the hook, magic.

[lilwill19]

The biggest Crappie I ever caught was on a nightcrawler believe it or not.  I was fishing for bluegills on a tree.  But I use a variety of baits for crappies, it all depends where I am fishing and what time of year.  Right now I am doing really well on the Panish Asassin.  It resembles a small minnow, and I put it on a smaller jighead with a long shaft.  You can use this under a bobber of by using a slow jiggin retrievel.  I also like to use shad darts with feathers on them.  Sometimes I put a fathead on it, but I found that just the dart itself works wonders in the water.  Sometimes the bite is best on the old hook and minnow technique.  It all depends how the fish are bit'n.

[reelcharacter]

LilWill,

Do you use the shad darts with a flat face by the hook eye, tapered up or tapered down? Read an article about these. The gist was the flat face gives more action and allows you to swim the jig as well. More versatile than other styles. Sounds like something I want to try this year.

-Reelcharacter

[lilwill19]

reelcharacter,
I use the ones that are tapered down.  I try to use the smallest ones i can find.  I like to use no more than 4 lb test with my littlest rods.  What I usually do is find a spot where I know they are hanging out, and cast in there and let it sink down a few feet then pop it up then then let it sink down and then when the line is all down again i retrieve it a little bit and pop it again.  Most of the time they hit it after you pop it and it is on the way down, when I see the line running i set the hook without feeling for them because they usually have it sucked in by then.
I will check out more about the flat faced ones.
thanks
lilwill  aka ryan

[howey1176]

Somers,

     I like the marabou myself,  especially the pink and white.  How do you tie a knot with a loop?  Are there any sites out there that have the different knots?

netknots.com

rgfixit turned us on to this site.

Great resource.

[kingfshr16]

 Well you cant really call the way i fished for them last year a technique... we know of this little pond that is full of bass panfish and pickeral...and as I found out one day CRAPPIE...i had a full nightcrawler on and i hucked it out in the middle all the sudden it bent over i reeled it in and it was a crappie, I went back to this spot and through out the same thing, a crawler and a hook and we killl the crappie on them  Not the most finesse style of fishing for them but it works