Cappie flies, maybe?

[fish_4_all]

These are some flies I tied up a while ago and I wanted some input as to weather they should work for crappie or not. They are one a size 10 Eagle Claw fly hook. I used the beads to give them a little weight without making them too hard to throw on a 5wt rod. That and it is rarely ever calm here so a little weight always help with throwing them more than 10 feet.

Let me know and if you have flies you use, please post some more ideas. I have tons of trout flies but I don't know which ones will work, well will work best for crappie anyway.

[AtticaFish]

I like the first 2 alot. Those should catch you some crappie. I have just started talking to a long time fly fisherman who was telling me about a mealworm fly he used to use aslot for crappie. I haven't seen what he's talking about yet - pretty much just told me a mealworm with a red head and yellow body - but when he does I will post it up, he is a pretty smart fly-fisher for panfish.

Other than that, #6 to #10 nymphs (like the one in the "dubbing" thread) out fished any other w. buggers, streamers or clousers I fished this season. In other words, bug patterns did way better than minnow patterns.

[fish_4_all]

I think they are called green/red meenies but I am not sure. Have to see if I can find the pattern and if I have any of them. I have probably 100x as many flies as I do jigs so I may have one somewhere.

[deathb4disco]

Let me know and if you have flies you use, please post some more ideas.

I don't target crappie with flies. If I did, I'd just use a fly similar to a basic marabou & chenille jig. In other words, I'd tie up a woolly bugger without the hackle.

A very light jig would also work well -- say, 1/80 to 1/128 oz.

Rick Zieger has posted a bunch of his favorite crappie flies over at FAOL. Click on "Features", then on "Panfish", and you'll find tons of his articles.

[dvuks]

I was thinking of clouser minnows with sz. 10 hooks, gonna try them in the Spring. And also to Deathb4 why wouldn't you just use a Wooly Bugger?

Dennis

[deathb4disco]

And also to Deathb4 why wouldn't you just use a Wooly Bugger?

A WB would be fine. I just think the hackle is unnecessary. I mean, look at your basic marabou & chenille jig. I've been catching crappie with those for over 30 years -- with no hackle.

[fish_4_all]

It is called a Wooly Worm. Definately have a lot of them tied up. Trout love them, just have to get a crappie to hit one. Will have to dig my fly box out of them and make sure I have a good color variety. Pretty easy to simply tie a fly instead of a jig.



I found these, they should get something to hit them on a fly rod.

[AtticaFish]

Dvuks - I don't use too many #10, I use those more for gill nymphs and dries. That is getting pretty small and would guess a clouser would be tough to put on one of them, but truely don't know, never tried a clouser that small. For panfish clousers I use light wire #8 or #6 aberdeen hooks and just bend the eye down to keep the hook point up. You at least have a little more hook shank to work with at that size and I like the thin wire instead of heavy hooks.... they are alot cheaper than true fly hooks also.

F4A - Are you fishing pretty deep? I have never liked those hour-glass eyes unless I'm fishing current for smallmouth or something else. I just use bead chain, you can work the fly alot slower without the added weight..... don't know, maybe that is just my preference. But is you need them deep, not much else you can do. BTW: that pink flash fly looks pretty cool, almost like a tube jig.

[fish_4_all]

I actually tied all of these for steelhead and trout, but mainly steelhead. Some are heavy but fast water makes it necessary. Is just ideas right now. I have tried the basic flies for crappie and didn't even get a nibble. Figured I needed to ask what works so maybe I can get one to bite this year. Especially when they are shallow and I can see them snub my normal flies. And they will completely ignore any jig or bait I put to them.

Maybe I need to go smaller, maybe lighter, maybe bigger or whatever but now is the time to do it instead of after I start hearing that the bite is on and I am 3 days late.

[dvuks]

I've tied a few clousers with the 10 hooks, they look ok, might miss hits becuase of hook size. Im gonna try #6 aberdeens.
Fish 4 all Ilike the 2 flies on top, what are the bodies made of? Also the pink on under the clouser looks real good, did you try that for the crappie?