Thread: Best Crappie Bait

I ain't skeered! I'm not an expert or anything but I've probably caught more crappie on a one-inch pearl white "Lil Fishie" than anything else, including minnows. Fishing vertically in cover or casting under a float it's productive either way.

One of my all-time favorites is a Black body with a Chartreuse curly tail, on a Red 1/16 or 1/32 oz. head. This combination always seems to do well in the stained water, which is most often the case on Weiss. I have also had good success with the same colors in a tube style grub. Speaking of tube jigs.... has anyone ever tried adding the paste style fish attractant to the body of a tube jig? The stuff I use is shad flavored, and it comes packaged in a syringe style applicator, which makes it very easy to squirt the attractant into the hollow cavity of the tube. I have had good luck with this in the past, even catching fish with the jig hanging motionless under a float.

Any type jig or curly tail less than 3 inches long, any color jighead ( 1/32-or 1/16 ), any color body, as long as the tail is chartreuse and the hook is sharp. But if could have only one, it wouold be a 1/32 black jighead with a bubblegum pink body and chartreuse hair tail jig. Casting under a float, long line trolling, or flipping/shooting under docks; it will work almost any day.

I fish the north end of Lake Martin and my favorite is also the black and chartruese grub. Water is stained most of the time. When they are finicky, I'll fish a hair jig barely moving it. Just let it hang in front of their face.

I like these jigs from crappiedays stock pile. He made them special for me. pink head ,dark purple gummy center and a chart tail with a #6 SICKLE HOOK. Caught more on these than southern pro hot grubs.

Many go-to baits/lures that you ask about are a product of experimenting in a particular lake, with a particular water clarity, and with fish at a given depth and level of activity. I know that sounds like an over-generalized answer, but if you go back and read the archives here (particularly for the AL forum), you will see the trends to select what catches fish.
Take Weiss for example: in winter, the most common way to catch crappie is bumping bottom with minnows. Then as water temps rise, long line trolling becomes more popular. Most trollers go to a charteuse tail jig - in combination with one of 3 or 4 body colors (e.g. blue or green or red). Their secret is no real secret; it's getting the speed & lure weight synchronized so that the lure is exactly at the depth (as indicated on depth finder) above the fish so that they will rise and hit it. So, activity level, clarity, and water temp govern this to a large extent.
Now, during spawn, the secret lure may become a tube jig under a float while casting the banks/brush....or a Panfish Assassin for shooting docks, etc. In summary, the presentation method that is necessary to get the lure in the right zone... will drive the bait/lure selection. It took me a LONG time to realize all this, for it to sink in, and to break out of the 'one way of fishing' trance. It's easy to fall into "fishing hypnosis" and squander many fishing trips using just one method. Just my perspective.

When you tie on a bait that you have confidence in be it the one or one of maybe four you catch more fish, is it because its better or is it because you are more attentive, work it better, bear down and really pay attention because there is no way you cant be catching fish with this bait under these conditions on this lake? The only thing I know for sure is that Ive seen people fishing baits I wouldnt, but they have confidence in them and it works better for them than me and vise versa. Most of my logic on this was sitting on a bucket on a frozen lake 6' away from four different guys all with there goto bait on. " There is a thin line between ice fishing and sitting on the ice like an idiot". I agree with everything bleughill said and add my two cents.