Minnow Substitutes

[panfish_angler_17]

I can't find a local bait shop that doesn't sell minnow. will soft plastics shaped like minnows catch crappie?

[OKSTATEjiggy]

17- try some jigs, mate! There are Panfish assasins, Bobby Garland baby shad, feather jigs, hair jigs, etc, etc, etc

They will definitely catch crappie

[panfish_angler_17]

I have plenty of jig heads and tubes,paddle tails,grubs. I also saw some minnow shaped plastic lures at wal mart for a dollar-something.

[crappieseeker]

soft plastics shaped like minnows will definately catch crappie. Many soft plastics will catch crappie, they do not even have to be shaped like a minnow. Some baits are not shaped necessarily like monnows but may resemble a minnow under certain conditions. Also, some other plastics represent different food sources the crappie feed on other than minnows. Never forget though that crappie can have reaction strikes just like other species, meaning sometimes they will bite just out of reaction and not necessarily that they are feeding on the bait.

[guest01]

people fish alot useing artifical only, never touching a minnow and doing very well. Here is one I make that I think represents a minnow pretty well.

[yikess]

people fish alot useing artifical only, never touching a minnow and doing very well. Here is one I make that I think represents a minnow pretty well.

That's a good looking bait right there.

[Jeepster04]

Looks kinda like a Fin-S-Shad.

[crappiejohn]

you can always get the gulp alive 1 inch minnows, crappie love em

[jeepguyjames]

I think we as crappie fisherman make it way to complicated a lot of time. Just make sure you got some of the basic colors. In some tubes, grubs, and maybe a few hairs to start w/and get out and fish, I think when I started I bought way 2 many different lures at ones and was at times overwhelmed trying not only to choose a color but what style lure to use. Stick w/some jigs and grubs maybe a few hairs and learn how to fish w/them. Tubes are a tried and true crappie lure, you would be hard pressed to find any one on this site who would disagree and who doesent use em. Just my meager 2 cents worth. But the best advice I ever received was to get good at a particular technique and become good at it. Don't overwhelm your self trying to learn it all at once. A few tubes, grubs, hairs in a few basic colors, hand full of floats, would be where I would start if I had to do it all over again.

[crappiejohn]

good idea jeep, i know alot of techniques but 99% of time im just tossing either a chart bass assassin under a slip float or a minnow