To use rubber jigs or not to use?

[jkw_fly]

I have not had much luck with any of them. I wanted to get some pros and cons of using rubber/tube jigs and if you catch fish with them, what type, color and jig setup do you use?

[feelay]

I use them probably 80% of the time. Mostly when spider riggin or casting. I've caught 1000's of fish on red & chartreuse super jigs alone. I really like them when I'm changing colors often to find what they want. In the spring, I prefer a good hand tied jig.

[deathb4disco]

I mostly use marabou & chenille, but small twister tails and crappie sliders are good, too. I fish 'em all the same: cast out, count down, reel back slowly.

[CrappiePappy]

I have not had much luck with any of them. I wanted to get some pros and cons of using rubber/tube jigs and if you catch fish with them, what type, color and jig setup do you use?

... and say that --- if you aren't catching Crappie on a tube jig, then you aren't putting the tube jig where the Crappie are

No disrespect intended, but simply saying that with all the people I know of, catching Crappie on tubes, in so many different types of bodies of water & in so many different states, in almost any month of the year ... then it's obvious that they work
With that being said, and rather than all of us telling you how WE use them (& catch fish on them) ... let's attack this from a different angle. YOU tell us how, where, & when you used them ... how long you actually used them, before you quit or switched to something else ... what equipment you were using them on ... and what the conditions of the body of water was in, that you were fishing. It may come down to one or two minor "ooops" ... and they can be adjusted. More serious problems may require some major adjustments.
Just understand that we're here for you, and we want you to catch Crappie. Our opinions/suggestions may vary ... but, we're just sharing what works best for us. We'd like nothing more than to have you posting pictures of the Slabs you caught, using jigs, after having tried our suggestions :D

Just FYI ... I use plastics on a weedless jighead, about 95% of the time I'm fishing. Given the proper weather/water/seasonal conditions ... I've been known to catch a Crappie or two :p (which is why I continue to use plastics at that rate)

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Now to address the question about pros - cons :

Pros -
Tubes don't die, like live bait can.
Tubes stay on the hook, and can't usually be "nibbled" off ... like live bait can.
Tubes are much harder to sling off the hook, when casting, than live bait.
Tubes are more visible than live bait.
One Tube will outlast a whole lot of live bait.
You can fish a Tube in the same ways as live bait .. but it may be hard to fish live bait the same as a Tube. (see the first 3 pros listed, for reference)

Cons -
Hollow Tubes can tear easily (solid body tubes less so)
You can never seem to have enough Tubes (colors/lengths/styles)
Tubes may be more expensive than live bait (on a 1:1 basis)

OK ... I know ... I'm really reaching on the "cons" :D ... so I'll just quit while I'm ahead :p
In all seriousness, though ... I used to use live bait about 99% of the time. I started out using live bait, back when I was a kid ... but, slowly but surely, started using jigs in certain situations. Once I found out that they worked, and gained more knowledge/understanding/confidence ... I've all but retired my live bait equipment. I've come to rely on live bait ... as a last ditch Plan B.
That's a personal choice, and not due to live bait being non-productive ... I just prefer to "fool'em" rather than "feed'em"

... cp

[deathb4disco]

if you aren't catching Crappie on a tube jig, then you aren't putting the tube jig where the Crappie are

CP, I must admit I've spent about 15 minutes of my crappie career using tubes. (I always preferred the solid body plastics I mentioned above.) For some reason, I thought people tended to vertical jig tubes. But you're a cast-and-retrieve guy, right? Even with tubes?

[jkw_fly]

CrappiePappy, Thanks for the info. I will get several colors and styles and continue to try them.
Here is what I have used:
-8' crappie pole/6lb. line/spinning reel.
-Jig heads - yellow, green or pink 1/32
-Tubes - blue/white, black/chartruse, white, pink/white, chartruse, red/white, purple/green, silver flake and yellow.
-Plastics - small silver minnows, small shad, orange/black shad.
-Lake Somerville, Texas - clear to slightly dirty water. Fall-early spring
-Vertical jig around brush piles 12-16 feet deep.

I have had real good luck on feather/chenille jigs in dark grays and blacks.

[Redy2Fish]

The advantage of tubes over solid body baits is the hollow body tubes hold nibbles and other attractants better than solid bodies as you can stuff them with the attractant vs. putting them on the hook where they will get nibbled off easily. There are times when an attractant is most beneficial, there are also times when it is not needed. I use plastics well over 90% of the time and do well with all them. Size from 1 inch to 3 inches, prefer 1/32 ounce, but go heavier when needed. I have caught crappie at certain times on larger plastics, tubes and solid bodies, sometimes intentionally, sometimes have been surpised. Also use crankbaits and small jerk type baits when the opportunity is right.

[CrappiePappy]

CP, I must admit I've spent about 15 minutes of my crappie career using tubes. (I always preferred the solid body plastics I mentioned above.) For some reason, I thought people tended to vertical jig tubes. But you're a cast-and-retrieve guy, right? Even with tubes?

... is how I usually describe myself :p

Yes ... I'm mostly a cast & slow retrieve guy ... with "any" kind of jig. I basically switched from minnow rigs to jigs, just so I could cast. :p You know that "grass is always greener" temptation ... you're sitting there, tightlining or float fishing & watching the rod tip/float ... and you see a spot that looks "more fishy" than where you are :D but it's out of reach. Well, that's what got me into throwing jigs.
I never got into the "vertical jigging" technique. But, I do use the "Vertical Casting" technique ... with good results.
I switched from marabou jigs to plastics, just so I could change colors/size without having to retie a whole other bait on, or switch to another rod. Haven't stopped using hair/feathers/materials jigs ... just switched their primary technique use. Plastics for casting, the others for trolling. And I've switched from hollow tubes to solid body tubes, for the most part, simply because the solid body tubes stay on the hook better, don't tear up as easily, don't need to be glued to the jighead, and are bulkier/heavier (which can translate into a longer cast / more visible profile). And they seem to skip better than hollow plastics .. which can be important, when shooting docks !!

... cp

[CrappiePappy]

CrappiePappy, Thanks for the info. I will get several colors and styles and continue to try them.
Here is what I have used:
-8' crappie pole/6lb. line/spinning reel.
-Jig heads - yellow, green or pink 1/32
-Tubes - blue/white, black/chartruse, white, pink/white, chartruse, red/white, purple/green, silver flake and yellow.
-Plastics - small silver minnows, small shad, orange/black shad.
-Lake Somerville, Texas - clear to slightly dirty water. Fall-early spring
-Vertical jig around brush piles 12-16 feet deep.

I have had real good luck on feather/chenille jigs in dark grays and blacks.

I don't see anything wrong with your equipment. Is vertical jigging the only technique you use ?? Is 1/32oz the only size jighead you use ??

Here's something for you to try, and it's not so different from vertical jigging that it will require alot of change in your fishing technique :
Crappie.com - Crappie Fishing Information and Adventure - Vertical Casting

Another thing that this technique is good for .... is showing you whether or not the Crappie want the bait moving (for a reaction bite), or if they're suspended over the brushpile or down in it. And while casting & slow retrieving a jig may be a bit slower than vertical jigging ... it can be more productive, at times. You'll want to "see" the bite, more than "feel" it .. when casting ... so watching your line, for any telltale movement, is important. You'll want to set the hook asap .. whenever you see the line jump/bounce the slightest bit. If the line goes slack, and you're sure the bait isn't on the bottom or in the brush ... set the hook then, too !!

Out of curiosity ... since you seem to have good results from dark grey/black feather/chenille jigs -- why the rainbow colors in your plastics ?? Also ... are you more likely to catch Black Crappie or White Crappie, or do you catch both in relatively equal numbers ??

... cp

[JBledsoe]

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I use jigs 100% of the time (minnows are illegal) As someone posted earlier, cast out, count down (to control depth) and reel in slowly. I use a 7 ft. MICROLITE action rod, very important for feel and sensitivity. Thousands of crappie in the freezer prove that it works.

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