Crappie Fishing

[YellowBear]

I have caught Crappie on many different baits.Everything from a strip of cloth to 5 inch plastics.
I catch most of my bigger fish on a 3 inch curlytail grub on a 1/32 to 1/8th oz jighead.I make my own jigs so I can get a large hook with a small amount of weight.This helps when I use the bigger baits.The small tube jigs work pretty good.Red/White,Yellow/White.Blue/White but Chartruce is my most productive color.One of my all time favorite baits for slabs is a Uncle Josh fly strip in Red/White on a #6 hook.I have found them as deep as 50 feet and as shallow as a few inches.
If you find a good bunch of fish but they all seem to be in the 9 or 10 inch size,try a larger bait like the 3 inch curlytail.Cast it out past the school and swim it slowly through them.You want to swim the jig just fast enough to make the tail move.This presintation puts the bigger fish in the boat for me.Its nice when you catch a bucket load of Crappie in the 10 to 12 inch size but its better when they are in the 16 to 17 inch area.

[TroutCowboy]

great info guys, thanks! although i'm dreading the maggot thing. too many horror movies as a kid, i guess.

can i ask how you identify good crappie "territory"? i have no fishfinder so i can't easily locate underwater structure, but do have a depth finder, so can i target certain depths in certain areas of a lake? such as steep dropoffs? weed beds? i've tended to catch crappie when tossing off the side of the boat opposite teh shoreline when anchored up for bass fishing. so they tend to be out deeper. any other tips?

[panfisher]

first its good to ask if the area you are going to fish has crappie. i'm more of a shore fisherman so i'm looking for structure such as docks, weeds, lillypads. downed trees, along concrete stuctures. the best is an area that has cattails and reeds with old stuff that has formed floating islands creating a shady area. bluegill and bass love these areas also. bridges are also good to fish especially during the summer months. fish close to the bridge structures. crappie don't care much for bright sunshine. hope some of this will help

[gpc]

My size of choice is 1/64 oz. I always use to use the 1/32 oz and it worked pretty well but not as good as the 1/64. potholes res. has really fell off in the last 10 or 12 years its coming back pretty well but its not the same as back then. I know this might play a role on what Im about to say but who knows. When I was young there were alot bigger crappie taken off the dock, thats when everybody used the 1/32, now the most of the people use 1/64 and there is more crappie being caught but not as many big ones. Also last year the man who caught the biggest crappie in the dock tourney used a 1/32 oz jig. I try a 1/32 from time to time but always switch back to a 1/64, its hard to get out fished when you know the sure fire lure is in your pocket. Lat year I did catch a 1lb crappie on a 1/64 but growing up Id catch 2 or 3 2lb + crappie every year on the 1/32. Like I said the lake isnt the same as it used to be. But what does everyone else think bigger bait catch bigger fish? Another thing is I read a article on a crappie guide down south and he uses 3" grubs for all his crappie and I could never imagine using a lure that size for crappie.

[fish4brains]

I use a fly rod and strike indicator(snobish for bobber), the smaller the better(less ressistance) set to depth, the right depth is crucial. I have many Crappie flies I tye that just crush them in any situation. My favorite is a black or brown leach with a tungsten bead. I love fishing for Crappie, they fight and eat so well. I only keep what I am going to eat that night, plus I never keep the fish that are over 12". I have my own slot that is 10-12.

[panfisher]

fly fishing for panfish is alot of fun. i've caught lots of big panfish doing so. pistol pete's work great, buggers tied in crystal flash has worked well for me for big crappie,but i have to say that i do more spin fishing than anything.