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Crappie Fishing Tips
| Crappie Fishing Tips |
Tips to help make you a better Crappie fisher:
* Crappies will take a variety of natural baits, but prefer small minnows. Best artificial baits are Pinkies,
streamers, spinners, small spoons, twisters, poppers, and high-riding hair flies. If using a cane pole,
anglers recommend a long monofilament leader, one or two hooks tied near the bottom, and enough
weight to get the bait down to the needed depth. Hooks should be No. 6 to No. 10, and line should be
2- to 6-pound test. With this gear, using either cane pole or spinning rod, try drifting across a lake in
early morning or just about dark on any summer eve. Fish from 10 to 20 feet deep. If you catch a
Crappie, anchor and keep fishing. Use a landing net because Crappies have thin mouths, which are
easily torn. If drift fishing in the evening or at night, use pork rind, a strip of perch meat, or a bucktail
fly skittered over the surface. If trolling try Flatfish or small spoons.
* When fishing a jig, use a loop knot for best results. It allows the jig to move more freely when casting
and provides an enticing subtle movement when fished vertically.
* When fishing vertically, keep up with the exact depth you're fishing at all times. Start with lures at a
variety of depths. When you find a depth that's producing, focus on that depth. Old timers used to use
a rubber band on their spinning reels. Once you catch a fish, just put a rubber band around the spool
of the reel. Then you can return to that depth quickly and exactly.
* While many fishermen rely on the shallow water of spawning crappie for good fishing, crappie will
almost always be found in the deeper depths. In a typical year there may be only two to three weeks
when shallow water will provide more consistent fishing.
* When the Crappie seem to disappear from the area you've been fishing, move out to deeper water,
but fish at the same depth. Crappie will often suspend out from structure or dropoffs, but maintain the
same depth. This is often the case in summer.
* Good prespawn fishing often occurs toward the end of warm spells, before an approaching cold
front hits. During this time, male crappie start fanning out nests in the shallows. Females also move
shallow, looking for food. Therefore, focus fishing efforts on shallow waters where spawning will occur.
When the cold front arrives, crappie return to deeper waters, holding near distinct bottom structure
where cover is abundant. If conditions are sunny and windy, wave action cuts light penetration, and
crappie remain near mid-depth structures. A few days after the front passes, the wind usually calms,
allowing greater light penetration and driving crappie to deeper structure and cover. If weather
remains sunny and begins warming before the passage of another cold front, crappie gradually begin
migrating back to shallow waters. Rainy weather - especially a warm rain - sends them scurrying to
shallow reaches.
* Trolling with several poles lets you "sweep" an area at several depths to find scattered prespawn
crappie. Put each pole in a rod holder. Use minnows and/or jigs in a variety of colors and styles. Two
baits might be set 10 feet deep, two at 15 feet and two at 20 feet. This permits you to test different
baits and depths. The dropper rig is popular for prespawn trolling. Attach a 1- to 3-ounce sinker to the
end of your line. Above this are one to four 12-inch dropper lines a foot apart. Each dropper connects
to the main line via a loop knot or swivel. A different type or color of bait is tied to each dropper, and
the rig is trolled.
* Small spoons - 1/6- to 1/4-ounce - are very productive for catching suspended prespawn crappie.
Using sonar, the fisherman looks for the arched signature of crappie suspended above humps, points
and breaklines, then a jigging spoon is free-spooled to the fish. The lure is jigged by raising the rod
tip with an upward pull then quickly lowering the rod so the spoon falls on slack line. Crappie usually
strike as the lure drops.
* Small safety-pin-style spinners are a boon when searching for scattered prespawn crappie. Fan cast
in a big circle. As you retrieve, work the lure slowly over, through and beside woody cover. When
fishing shallow brush, blowdowns and other visible cover, cast beyond the cover and bring the lure
through it or alongside it. Bump the cover with the lure; this seems to excite crappie into biting.
* Scan your sonar for shallow underwater ledges. These aren't deep drop-offs falling 10 feet or more,
but rather shallow ditches, cuts and gullies near bankside bluffs or coves. Ledges are especially
productive when found near weedbeds, timber stands or other crappie cover. Medium-sized (1/16- to
1/8-ounce) jigs are ideal lures for fishing ledges. Work a lure down the drop-off, hopping it stair-step
fashion. Around river ledges, allow lures to drift naturally and bounce along the ledge.
* Fisheries agencies often construct fish shelters by sinking reefs of trees and brush in waters lacking
good cover. Buoys mark the locations of most shelters. Others are marked on maps and can be
pinpointed using sonar. All such shelters are likely to harbor crappie concentrations during the
prespawn. Use sonar to determine the shelter's position; then use a countdown technique to pinpoint
feeding fish. Position your boat a cast away from your marker buoy and cast a 1/16-ounce on
4-pound-test line to the buoy. Now count the jig down until you get a hit or contact brush. If you get a
hit, use the same count next cast. If you contact brush, use a shorter count.
* Prespawn crappie often hold on points sloping toward bottom channels. Among the best lures for
fishing these areas are small, deep-diving, baitfish-imitating crankbaits. It's difficult to keep crankbaits
at favored depths and still move them slow enough to entice lethargic crappie. Using a neutral
buoyancy or sinking crankbait eliminates these problems. Use light line - 4- to 6-pound-test - crank
the lure down to the proper depth, and then slowly crawl it across the bottom. Fish crankbaits around
cover on each point, retrieving the lure from shallow water to deep, or working across the point toward
the deepest side. Crappie move up and down points as weather and water conditions change, and
they may be difficult to pinpoint. But when the first fish is found, you might take several on consecutive
casts.
* River crappie are nomads, moving here and there as seasons change. They begin spawning in
water that's 62 to 65 degrees, and they leave cooler water as soon as possible. The thing is, water
temperature isn't the same everywhere in a river. It fluctuates from one spot to another, and that can
make it tough to find fish. Crappie may move out of the main river and into a warmer tributary. Or they
may move to water that's a little muddier, because silty water warms quicker than clear water. It's
important to find areas with the proper water temperature in order to find fish. Start your search in
areas with little current - big backwaters, side channels and other places where current is reduced. If
that doesn't produce, try fishing cuts connecting backwaters and the main river, or work your baits
around heavy cover in the river proper. Change lures, tactics and locations as often as necessary to
establish a fishing pattern.
* Don't overlook the opportunity to take loads of crappie in tailwaters below big river dams. River
crappie move upstream in late winter or early spring, searching for spawning sites. When they reach a
dam, they congregate and mill around the area for a while, and you have an excellent chance for
extraordinary catches there. A jig/minnow combination often outproduces a jig or minnow alone in this
situation. Use a leadhead heavy enough to get down in the current, and cast the rig around wing
dams, boulders, lock walls, sandbar edges and other current breaks where crappie can rest and feed.
* Crappie can see colors well and many anglers like to use colorful lures to fish for them. However, like
all fish, their ability to see is influenced by water depth, light levels, water clarity and water
temperature. Also, a crappie's willingness to attack lures of different colors and presentations
depends upon the fish's activity level.
* Crappies will take a variety of natural baits, but prefer small minnows. Best artificial baits are Pinkies,
streamers, spinners, small spoons, twisters, poppers, and high-riding hair flies. If using a cane pole,
anglers recommend a long monofilament leader, one or two hooks tied near the bottom, and enough
weight to get the bait down to the needed depth. Hooks should be No. 6 to No. 10, and line should be
2- to 6-pound test. With this gear, using either cane pole or spinning rod, try drifting across a lake in
early morning or just about dark on any summer eve. Fish from 10 to 20 feet deep. If you catch a
Crappie, anchor and keep fishing. Use a landing net because Crappies have thin mouths, which are
easily torn. If drift fishing in the evening or at night, use pork rind, a strip of perch meat, or a bucktail
fly skittered over the surface. If trolling try Flatfish or small spoons.
* When fishing a jig, use a loop knot for best results. It allows the jig to move more freely when casting
and provides an enticing subtle movement when fished vertically.
* When fishing vertically, keep up with the exact depth you're fishing at all times. Start with lures at a
variety of depths. When you find a depth that's producing, focus on that depth. Old timers used to use
a rubber band on their spinning reels. Once you catch a fish, just put a rubber band around the spool
of the reel. Then you can return to that depth quickly and exactly.
* While many fishermen rely on the shallow water of spawning crappie for good fishing, crappie will
almost always be found in the deeper depths. In a typical year there may be only two to three weeks
when shallow water will provide more consistent fishing.
* When the Crappie seem to disappear from the area you've been fishing, move out to deeper water,
but fish at the same depth. Crappie will often suspend out from structure or dropoffs, but maintain the
same depth. This is often the case in summer.
* Good prespawn fishing often occurs toward the end of warm spells, before an approaching cold
front hits. During this time, male crappie start fanning out nests in the shallows. Females also move
shallow, looking for food. Therefore, focus fishing efforts on shallow waters where spawning will occur.
When the cold front arrives, crappie return to deeper waters, holding near distinct bottom structure
where cover is abundant. If conditions are sunny and windy, wave action cuts light penetration, and
crappie remain near mid-depth structures. A few days after the front passes, the wind usually calms,
allowing greater light penetration and driving crappie to deeper structure and cover. If weather
remains sunny and begins warming before the passage of another cold front, crappie gradually begin
migrating back to shallow waters. Rainy weather - especially a warm rain - sends them scurrying to
shallow reaches.
* Trolling with several poles lets you "sweep" an area at several depths to find scattered prespawn
crappie. Put each pole in a rod holder. Use minnows and/or jigs in a variety of colors and styles. Two
baits might be set 10 feet deep, two at 15 feet and two at 20 feet. This permits you to test different
baits and depths. The dropper rig is popular for prespawn trolling. Attach a 1- to 3-ounce sinker to the
end of your line. Above this are one to four 12-inch dropper lines a foot apart. Each dropper connects
to the main line via a loop knot or swivel. A different type or color of bait is tied to each dropper, and
the rig is trolled.
* Small spoons - 1/6- to 1/4-ounce - are very productive for catching suspended prespawn crappie.
Using sonar, the fisherman looks for the arched signature of crappie suspended above humps, points
and breaklines, then a jigging spoon is free-spooled to the fish. The lure is jigged by raising the rod
tip with an upward pull then quickly lowering the rod so the spoon falls on slack line. Crappie usually
strike as the lure drops.
* Small safety-pin-style spinners are a boon when searching for scattered prespawn crappie. Fan cast
in a big circle. As you retrieve, work the lure slowly over, through and beside woody cover. When
fishing shallow brush, blowdowns and other visible cover, cast beyond the cover and bring the lure
through it or alongside it. Bump the cover with the lure; this seems to excite crappie into biting.
* Scan your sonar for shallow underwater ledges. These aren't deep drop-offs falling 10 feet or more,
but rather shallow ditches, cuts and gullies near bankside bluffs or coves. Ledges are especially
productive when found near weedbeds, timber stands or other crappie cover. Medium-sized (1/16- to
1/8-ounce) jigs are ideal lures for fishing ledges. Work a lure down the drop-off, hopping it stair-step
fashion. Around river ledges, allow lures to drift naturally and bounce along the ledge.
* Fisheries agencies often construct fish shelters by sinking reefs of trees and brush in waters lacking
good cover. Buoys mark the locations of most shelters. Others are marked on maps and can be
pinpointed using sonar. All such shelters are likely to harbor crappie concentrations during the
prespawn. Use sonar to determine the shelter's position; then use a countdown technique to pinpoint
feeding fish. Position your boat a cast away from your marker buoy and cast a 1/16-ounce on
4-pound-test line to the buoy. Now count the jig down until you get a hit or contact brush. If you get a
hit, use the same count next cast. If you contact brush, use a shorter count.
* Prespawn crappie often hold on points sloping toward bottom channels. Among the best lures for
fishing these areas are small, deep-diving, baitfish-imitating crankbaits. It's difficult to keep crankbaits
at favored depths and still move them slow enough to entice lethargic crappie. Using a neutral
buoyancy or sinking crankbait eliminates these problems. Use light line - 4- to 6-pound-test - crank
the lure down to the proper depth, and then slowly crawl it across the bottom. Fish crankbaits around
cover on each point, retrieving the lure from shallow water to deep, or working across the point toward
the deepest side. Crappie move up and down points as weather and water conditions change, and
they may be difficult to pinpoint. But when the first fish is found, you might take several on consecutive
casts.
* River crappie are nomads, moving here and there as seasons change. They begin spawning in
water that's 62 to 65 degrees, and they leave cooler water as soon as possible. The thing is, water
temperature isn't the same everywhere in a river. It fluctuates from one spot to another, and that can
make it tough to find fish. Crappie may move out of the main river and into a warmer tributary. Or they
may move to water that's a little muddier, because silty water warms quicker than clear water. It's
important to find areas with the proper water temperature in order to find fish. Start your search in
areas with little current - big backwaters, side channels and other places where current is reduced. If
that doesn't produce, try fishing cuts connecting backwaters and the main river, or work your baits
around heavy cover in the river proper. Change lures, tactics and locations as often as necessary to
establish a fishing pattern.
* Don't overlook the opportunity to take loads of crappie in tailwaters below big river dams. River
crappie move upstream in late winter or early spring, searching for spawning sites. When they reach a
dam, they congregate and mill around the area for a while, and you have an excellent chance for
extraordinary catches there. A jig/minnow combination often outproduces a jig or minnow alone in this
situation. Use a leadhead heavy enough to get down in the current, and cast the rig around wing
dams, boulders, lock walls, sandbar edges and other current breaks where crappie can rest and feed.
* Crappie can see colors well and many anglers like to use colorful lures to fish for them. However, like
all fish, their ability to see is influenced by water depth, light levels, water clarity and water
temperature. Also, a crappie's willingness to attack lures of different colors and presentations
depends upon the fish's activity level.
