1. Make sure you have good lively bait

If you have a live well, this isn’t much of a problem. But if you don’t, you can just get you a small clip on battery operated floating aerator for $20-$30 from your local outdoors store or Wal-Mart. These will come with a cord and two clips to hook up to your 12 volt battery(ies).

2. Find a likely spot for crappie

There are several things that are involved here, like using topographical maps and fish finders, but in general, if you can find an area with excellent cover for the crappie, and there are bait fish in the water, you stand a good chance to catch crappie.

3. Use a light to attract bait fish

Using a submerged green light can really pull in the bait fish, which will in turn, pull in game fish. If you can get a light that submerges down to about five feet, then you stand a much better chance of catching night crappie. Also, there is a product called a crappi candle, which is a light that actually attaches to fishing line, and sheds light directly on your bait! Pretty neat concept, and it works.

4. Chum up the water you will be fishing

Using very small cut up bait fish like blue gill and minnows, and pouring out all the blood and pieces into the water, you can create a scent that will help to attract the crappie. Once you have the light and chum in place, you can wait for about a half hour (or you can begin immediately if your prefer) and then start fishing. Start off about a foot or two from the bottom, right around the edges of the light. Then pull the line up foot by foot until you start getting some strikes.

Well, those are some great starter tips for night crappie fishing. So get on out there and start catch some fish.

Crappie Rod Length

When you are thinking about the length of the crappie fishing rod you need, think long. When you are fishing crappie, you are usually going to be using a vertical jigging technique (often with crappie jigs) to attract the fish. So if you have a long, lightweight, sensitive rod then you can easily move the bait around as you are jigging. This will provide better action for your crappie lures, and give you a better chance at catching the fish.

I would consider at least a 6 foot rod, and possibly going all the way up to a 10 foot pole. This length of rod is going to get you out there where the fish hangout, under brush and cover in the water. Then you can commence jigging in a location that is much closer to where the fish are.

Types of Crappie Rods

There are 3 main types of rods to consider when looking for a crappie rod. Those 3 are the telescoping rod, the sectioned rod and the fixed rod.

The telescoping rod is very compact, and you can quite possibly get your entire rod and reel combination to fit within a tackle box or action packer. This is especially nice if you are taking the family or friends out, and need to haul a lot of fishing tackle. The disadvantage is if you are fishing, and the rod closes up accidentally on you.

The sectioned rod is the one most often seen in stores, and it can be broken down to help in transportation. This rod doesn’t have any problem folding up on you, but it may twist on you, depending on how aggresive you are fishing.

The last is the fixed rod, and it is the best for fishing. But the obvious downside is that because it doesn’t fold up in any way, hauling it around may be challenging. But once you get to your spot, it is nearly maintenance-free.

So the bottom line here is, when you are looking to go crappie fishing, and need a good crappie rod, think lightweight, long, and whether convenience of travel or ease of maintenance is more important to you. Once you have those points ironed out, then go shopping. My opinion still is that the Shakespeare Ugly Stik is the best rod out there, but Berkley’s Lightning rod is certainly good as well.

Crankbaits Make, Size and Shape

Crankbaits tend to be short, wide and have a violent wobble. Their main bodies are made of either cedar or balsa wood, or of hard or foamed plastic. Crankbaits will have a lip, and the length, width and angle of that lip will determine how deep the crankbait will swim. Crankbait depths can be as little as 1-2 feet for shallow crankbaits, all the way up to 20 feet in some cases. Generally, bass fisherman like to use crankbaits that are 2 to 4 inches in length. In this regard, I am very similar, my favorite crankbaits are about 2 to 3 inches in length.

The standard crankbait will float on top of the water, and then dive as you begin to retrieve. Retrieve fast will cause the crankbait to dive to its lowest depth, while a slow retrieve will run the crankbait at a higher depth. However, some crankbaits are made to sink, and some, like the Bomber I talked you about above, are suspending, and therefore offer a great opportunity for stop and start retrieves, maintaining a certain desired depth.

Crankbait Color

Lure color always seems to be a heated debate amongst anglers. The color of the crainkbait that works the best on one day, may not work as well on another day. But for simplicity’s sake, when you are fishing clear water, natural or medium colored crankbaits will tend to work better. But if you are in murky water, brighter, or more vibrant colors will typically produce better results.

My favorite crankbait colors for catching bass are white and white with a splash of dark yellow. I generally fish lakes that have fairly clear water, and these lures are pretty natural in their appearance. I have had the most success fishing with white crankbaits that dive to 4 to 12 feet deep. Again, you need know what areas and depths you are fishing, in addition to know the temperature of the water, so that you can have an idea of where the fish will be, and at what depth they will be.

To sum it up, crankbaits are a great way to cover a lot of water in a very short period of time. They are used by many, many anglers including professionals, and have yielded some very nice catches. Crankbaits are simple because you don’t need any weights or complicated rigging, just tie them on to the end of your line, cast, and retrieve. Often, there isn’t any need for complicated retrieve, just simply cast, and retrieve at a set pace for the desired depth of the crankbait. And just to reiterate, I have probably caught more fish on crankbaits than any other type of lure…