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.

Now that you have your rod, let’s look at reel selection. Since you are crappie fishing with light tackle, it stands to reason to have a small reel. The Shimano Symetre and the Penn Spinfisher are good starters to go with. The Shimano has new anti-rust ball bearings giving it longer life, but the Penn is of a higher overall quality. Price will be reflective of quality, so you should weigh out how much you plan to go fishing, as to how much you will invest in crappie tackle.

When it comes to fishing line, your selection will depend on conditions. If you expect to be fishing heavy cover and rough areas, go with a strong, thin monofilament line. But if you are fishing underneath piers or other clear water, consider going with a braided or fused line. You should use 3 to 6 pound test line for your crappie tackle and fishing operations. If you want a little extra help, spring for fluorocarbon type line, as it will be nearly invisible to the fish in the water.

Last, but certainly not least, let’s look at selecting your crappie lures. If you are just beginning, I need not say any more than Marabou jigs. These little guys are tip top baits that have been proven over time to work, again and again. Start with mostly lighter colors in the white, green, and yellow range. Get a few darker colors like black and purple just for when the water is really murky. But on normal days with relative to high water clarity, stick to the lighter colors.

Also, consider the use of a crappi light for night crappie fishing. It takes the idea of a pier light, and compacts into a small “flashlight” type device that you can attach a few feet above your lure or real bait, and attract fish right to the spot where your bait is.

And one last thing, make sure you have a good landing net and stringer or live well with you. Don’t underestimate your ability to fish. Take the necessary items to ensure you land the fish you catch, and are able to sustain them until you are ready to go home. So that’s a good overview of the types of crappie tackle you want to have to get out there and have a great time catching crappie.

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.

If water clarity is an issue, or if you just want to do some experimentation, consider using Rooster Tail Jigs. Rooster tail jigs are a modified version of the marabou jig. Basically, the rooster tail jig is a marabou jig with the addition of a straight shaft style spinner blade. As you might have already guessed, adding the blade to the rig can help you when there are low light levels or murky water.

Lastly, curly tail jigs can work as well. Curly tail jigs are small, soft plastic worms with a curled tail to provide action in the water. If your other jigs are not working, you might try out the curly tail. Stick with similar sizes and colors as with the marabou jigs.

Crappie Jig Colors

As aforementioned, if you are beginner, start with the basic offerings of crappie lures at your local outdoor store. White, yellow and green/chartreuse are excellent, proven colors to begin with. These colors tend to work the best with clear water, clear weather, and good lighting conditions.

If you are fishing a stained area of water, you might want to put on a darker colored jig. Consider using black, purple, or dark green or orange. This may be the time to put on the rooster tailed jig, just to get a little more reflectivity in the water.

The Crappie Jig “Technique”

The basic idea when using crappie jigs is to drop the bait straight down to an area denoted on the fish finder as having a school of fish, and jerk your rod up, and let it down slowly, bobbing the bait up and down in front of the fish. When you first hit the fishing spot, start by fishing deep, and then jig your way up toward the top of the surface, and note about what depth you were fishing when you got the strike.

Once you have determined about how deep the fish are, concentrate on that depth until the fishing slows down. Find out more crappie fishing information to give you a better chance at catching 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.

3. Crappie are a Schooling Fish

At times, you can find these fish in schools of the hundreds. They stay together, and even when there is a disturbance of anglers pulling them out of the water, they’ll still hang around. So when you catch one, stop the boat and fish the area thoroughly. If the action is slow, change up your colors and baits and see if you can get it going again. One trick I use is to add a crappie bite to my lure, to provide a little scent and taste to the fish for an extra enticement.

4. Crappie Like Warm Water

Following a similar pattern as bass, crappie prefer the warm water. They can handle the water a little bit cooler than bass, but you’ll find them in the shallows in early spring during the crappie spawn. When it gets too hot during the summer, crappie will find medium depth areas to congregate. In the fall, the water temperature is even, and crappie will look for areas of clear water and lots of oxygen. The winter months will force crappie deep, to escape the cold surface temperatures.

5. Crappie Need Lots of Oxygen

Again, like bass, these fish need lots of oxygen. You may already know that these fish don’t last long on a stringer. So during fall months where lake turnover limits oxygen, look for crappie in clearer patches of water and near the surface. In the summer months, look for the fish to be in the thermocline (the layer between the hot surface temperature water, and the deep, cooler water) where oxygen is the highest. In the spring time, as the surface water warms, you’ll find them in the shallows looking to spawn.

6. Crappie Like Small Baitfish and Grub-Like Worms

So if you’re looking to use live bait, get you some 1 to 2 inch minnows, hook them through the upper and lower lip, put a split shot or two on the line, and test the water. You can also put them under a bobber, if you have a good idea of the depth the crappie are schooling at.

If you prefer crappie lures (and I do) start out with some tube jigs like marabou jigs. Start with a 1/16 ounce size, and go to a 1/32 ounce size if needed. Focus on colors like yellow, white, and chartreuse/green to begin with. Use a vertical jigging motion to bounce the lure up and down in front of the fish.

7. Crappie Love Cover

Look for schools of crappie under docks, bridges, fallen tree limbs, stumps, bulrush and grass areas, and other cover that would offer some protection. This is where the food is, and likewise the crappie. A little bit of shade is good too, as the crappie can see a little better in the shade.

That’s the seven crappie tips that will shotgun you to successful crappie fishing. Remember to check back here as often as you can, as I reveal more and more secrets to fishing effectively, and bringing home the “bacon”.

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…