Hidden Fishing Tips

If you are new to crappie fishing, or just want to get an idea of what kind of crappie tackle to use, then this is for you. Crappie is probably my second most favorite freshwater fish to eat (outside of fried catfish), however crappie tends to be a better fish for grilling or baking. But in this short post I want to give you a base line of gear to use to catch crappie, and having a blast doing it.

I’ll begin with rod selection. Crappie are a small panfish that rarely exceed 2 to 3 pounds. So to get the maximum enjoyment out of catching them, smaller gear is necessary. I would recommend that you get an ultralight to light action rod for your crappie excursion. A 6 to 7 foot Shakespeare Ugly Stik or Berkley Lighting Rod should do the trick.

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For anyone looking to get into crappie fishing, using crappie jigs when you first start out is almost a must. Crappie jigs are the most proven, time tested bait for crappie fishing. Trust me, when you throw these lures in an area where the crappie are, you are almost sure to do very, very well. OK, so let’s get into just exactly what jigs to use, what colors work the best for different situations, and the “technique” for catching fish with this great lure.

The Top Crappie Jigs Available

If you are just starting out, don’t buy anything else except Marabou Jigs, especially if you are on a budget. The marabou jig has produced more great crappie fishing than any other lure on the market today. Marabou jigs are comprised of a jig head, and a hair, chenille, tinsel, or feather body and tail. Start off using a 1/8 ounce or 1/16 ounce marabou in a white, yellow or green color. If need be, you may also get some in the 1/32 ounce size, just in case.

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As promised, I wanted to give you some more great ideas for what catfish bait to use when you go fishing for these tasty scavenger fish. So without further ado, here they are:

Chicken Livers

With its strong scent and soft consistency, this bait is a proven winner with the smaller channels and blues. The disadvantage to chicken livers is the ease of which they fly off the hook. If you can, freeze your chicken livers, and get them out just a couple of hours before you go out fishing. They’ll be firmer when you attach them to the hook, and won’t fly off as easily when you cast, but they’ll thaw quickly once they sit in the water, and will produce just like fresh chicken livers. Another idea to keep chicken livers on the hook is to use a treble hook or a hook with a bait saver.

Also, as the bait sits in the water, it will begin to lose the blood and scent it is producing. This happens will all baits, but with chicken livers it happens a lot quicker. So check your bait from time to time, and keep those chicken livers fresh! And if you move to a new location to fish, make sure you put on a fresh chicken liver.

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In any type of fishing there are two main considerations, finding the fish, and offering them bait that will produce strikes. Catfish are no different, so selecting the right catfish bait is extremely important. Now I realize that conditions and seasons play a part in how well a particular catfish bait will work, but there are some baits that tend to work regardless of conditions. In this article, I want to show 4 tantalizing catfish baits that are proven to compel catfish to strike.

Live or Dead Shad

Shad are staple for channel and yellow (flathead) catfish, but are especially enjoyed by blue catfish. Often, shad are plenty in the lakes and river systems, and can either be caught by a cast net, or purchased at any bait stand near the body of water you are fishing.

Shad are extremely difficult to keep alive, but if you can keep them alive, use them as live bait. Hook them either in the tail or through the upper and lower lip, and fish them just above the bottom. You can rig up with a large weight on the end of the line, then tie on your hook a couple of feet above the weight. This will keep your bait off the bottom, and from escaping into protective cover areas.

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In order to become a better crappie fisherman, you need to understand as much as possible about the crappie, and its instinctive actions. Here are 7 crappie tips that will assist you in learning what makes the crappie tick, and how you can apply them to catch more fish.

1. Crappie are Small Panfish

Because they range from just a few ounces up to a little over 2 pounds, these fish just aren’t big, so when you are looking for bait, concentrate on bait that is in the 1/2 to 2 inch size range. When you are jig fishing, use jig heads that are no larger than 1/8 ounce in size. Larger baits include larger hooks, and these small fish just can’t handle a big bait.

2. Crappie Have Paper Thin Mouths

Along with being a small panfish, crappie have delicate mouths. So when you feel the bump of a fish, don’t set the hook wildly like you see some fanatics on TV. You won’t do much more than ripping the hook right out of the fish’s mouth. A small, quick jerk of the rod is all it takes to hook this small game fish.

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