Catching crappies is either going to be ridiculously easy or next to impossible. During the spring spawn even kids can bring in heavy stingers. Fishing for schooling fish in shallow bays makes for one action packed day. Where most people run into problems is catching suspended fish. Even experts have trouble catching suspended fish after they’ve moved out to deeper water.
Crappie Personalities
Unlike sunfish which are naturally curious crappie tend to keep to themselves. Shying away from anything that doesn’t seem quite right. Naturally this is going to make them a lot harder to catch compared to other panfish. This fact should have a bearing on your angling tactics. Make sure you give them enough distance and avoid unnecessary movements. You don’t want to spook away hungry fish using the wrong technique. Use the lightest line you can get away with under the given conditions.
Standard Crappie Rig
The standard crappie rig consists of a small float, split-shot and a plain hook baited with a minnow. Check out my complete guide for crappie fishing with minnows for more information. Most Northern fisherman choose a #4 and #6 hook, but southern anglers tend to go bigger.
Tightline For Crappie
Southern fisherman tend to tightline for crappies. They slowly lower the bait to the bottom on a tandem hook rig tied with 2/0 and 4/0 light wire hooks paired with a 1 ounce sinker. This type of setup allows the line to go nearly vertical. They the slowly bounce the sinker off stumps, logs and other cover. The heavy sinker allows them to work the bottom avoiding snags. If the hook does become snagged simply jerk the rod to free the snag.
When tightlining most anglers are going to want to use a baitcast reel or medium power spinning reel. You’ll need to be able to get into tight spots. You can get by pairing a ultralight spinning gear with a 4 pound line in snag-free water. Some veteran fisherman even prefer cane and extension poles with a 15-20 lb line.
Other Crappie Techniques
- Fly fishing for crappies hasn’t gained widespread popularity, but it can be extremely effective. It works particulary well during the spawning time. Subsurface flies will take more fish than poppers and floating bugs
- Crappies have a less powerful strike than other panfish. Make sure you keep an eye on your bobber, because sometimes it will barely move. Sometimes there’s not going to be a lot of difference between a bite and wind. With an artificial lure you might only notice slight movement in the line.
- A slow retrieve will usually catch the most fish. They’ll seldom strike a fast moving lure, so don’t feel tempted. Keep your line tight after setting the hook and reel gently. Crappies soft mouths tear easily so try not to let the hook fall out. Allowing some slack in the line can allow the hook to fall out.
Lures and Baits for Crappies
Minnows account for the vast majority of crappies in most waters. They are so popular that some dealers call all their small baitfish crappie minnows. Crappie prefer 1.5-2 inch minnows, but 3 inch minnows seem to work better for larger fish. Fathead minnows (aka Tuffies, mudminnows) are the perfect choice, because they’re a hardy species. They both live longer in your minnow bucket and stay alive longer on the hook. Shiners on the other hand are harder to keep alive, but one of the best live baits. If you have trouble keeping your shiners alive check out my other post on keeping baitfish alive.
Crappies love to suspend off the bottom, so smart fisherman like to use tandem hook rigs. This allows you to present your minnows at different depths to remove some of the guesswork out of fishing. When fishing starts to slow down you should switch to smaller baits. Small jigs tipped with insect larvae have long been a favorite among ice fisherman, but it works equally well in open water.
Other Live Baits For Crappie
- Crappie Meat
- Gobs of Small Garden Worms
- Piece of Nightcrawler
- Leeches
- Grasshoppers
- Crickets
- Mayfly Nymph
- Grass Shrimp
When Crappie Strike
Crappies will strike almost any small lure, but tiny jigs and spinnerbaits work the best. Eagle Claws Crappie Jig (pictured to the right) is one of my favorites, and it’s available in loads of different colors. In most southern fishing tournaments more crappies are caght on jigs and jig/minnow combos than minnows alone. Plain jigs work well in murky water, but in clear you’ll want to tip it with a minnow.
Spawning Crappie
Where to Find Spawning Crappie
- Flooded Brush: Flooded brush provides spawning cover in many reservoirs. Crappies also like to spawn in seasonally flooded brush along rivers.
- Maidencaine: In the deep south you’ll most likely find Crappie near maidencane. Just look for tall strawlike grass if you don’t know what maidencane looks like. Sparse beds are the best for fishing, but thick cover will work with the proper technique. To fish a thick bed try and work the openings and edges.
- Stumps and Logs: Throughout the United States stumps and logs tend to attract the biggest fish. Look for the largest stumps and ones with exposed roots.
How to Catch Crappie With a Longpole
- Move quietly along the edge of your chosen spawning area while your companion looks for crappies.
- Use a 12 to 14 foot extension pole with 4 to 6 feet of line at the end.
- Tip a jig with a small minnow hooked through its lips.
- Dangle the Jig and minnow in front of the darker crappies. During the spawning period males look blacker and show more aggression. Your chances of snagging a male are much greater.
How to Swim a Jig For Spawning Crappie
- Select a 1/32 or 1/64 ounce jig with a small soft plastic tail. I like to use the Lindy little Nipper Jigs or the Strike King Mr. Crappie Jig Head paired with a small soft grub You might want to attach a tiny float to keep the jig off the bottom.
- Cast the jig beyond the spawning area and retrieve it slowly. Landing on the spawning area could startle the fish.
- Without moving your boat fan cast so you can completely cover the area.
- Twitch the jig as you retrieve it over the spawning area. As the jig sinks the curly plastic tail should wiggle enticingly.
Fishing Timber, Brush, Weeds, Logs and ManMade Features
- Look for fallen trees near deep water, stump fields, root systems and standing timber. To fish stump fields and trees adjust your float so that the bait rides just above the field. Retrieve slowly or let the boat float around the stump field. Jig vertically along the shady side of a tree working different depths.
- Fish for crappies along a weedline by trolling into the wind using a jig minnow combo. When you catch a fish mark the spot and fish the area thoroughly. Use an electric trolling motor to hold your position.
- Fish the weedtops by setting a slip-float just above the weeds. Let the float drift with the wind directly above the weeds. When the wind is strong you’ll need to use more weight so the float doesn’t pull your bait up to high.
- Underwater man made structures are great for crappie fishing. Look for anywhere that fish can take cover from the hot sun. Fish bridges, docks, posts and other submerged debris. You can even through in your own fish attractors to lure in fish.
Fishing Underwater Structure
Crappies roam widely throughout most waters, but they always stick close to structure. They use structure like underwater highways bringing them safely from one place to another. For example, crappies love to follow creek channels from deep water to shallow feeding areas. These underwater channels are perfect for catching fish, but should you wait for them?
Many fisherman make the mistake of anchoring near structure and waiting for the fish to come to them. If they wait long enough they’ll often get lucky, but there’s a better way. You can greatly improve your odds by moving along structure until you find crappie. Trolling with jigs is the best way to find fish on structure. Work the breakline slowly with 1/8-1/4 oz jig or use a jig minnow combo. Lift the jig about a foot off the bottom and let it sink, Repeat the process until you get a bite. Crappie normally sit in a narrow band along the breakline, so once you find them try to keep your boat still.
Hover over the location with a trolling motor and never throw an anchor
Fishing For Suspended Crappie
Crappie have a greater tendency to suspend than any other panfish. Fisherman commonly find the fish hanging in midwater away from structure or cover. They suspend in any season, but it’s mostly a summer activity. Schools of crappie often suspend to feed on plankton and other small baitfish. You’ll notice that they move shallower in the evening and deeper at midday. You can wast a lot of time searching for suspended crappie, so you better bring along a fish finder. If you don’t already have one, check out a few of my favorite fish finders. Luckily you no longer have to spend a fortune to find a great fish finder.
How to Troll For Suspended Crappie
Trolling for suspended crappie is less about science and more about luck. Place sever long poles in rod holders so the tip rides 1-2 feet above the water. You can either use a jig minnow combo or tandem hook rig baited with minnows. Troll slowly along a drop-off with each pole working a different depth. When one starts to produce more fish set the other rods at the same depth.
Using The Countdown Method
- Cast a jig then count as it sinks. With a 6 pound line and 1/32 ounce jig you’ll drop about a foot per second(1/8oz jig 2 feet).
- Begin your retrieve at different counts until you find crappies. Start off at 3 seconds and add a second or 2 on each retrieve. When you start to find fish count down to 1-2 feet above your measured location.