New Guy Tackle suggestion

[tdibiasio]

Hello All

I am new to crappie fishing twords the end of last fall. I found a nice lake that is close and has a good boat ramp. The one trip I took there last year, my fishing buddy and I took 17 slabs home - most over the 1lb mark. We are both hooked on them now - even took some nice ones through the ice on this same lake. We are trying to gear up for the Spring and was hoping to get some recomendations. We are not opposed to spending a little money to get set up, but in the past have not been a big fan of the large species specific tackle kits that you see in cabelas or bass pro. I have been reading all I can here and it seems like the road runners are a must - can you help me spend some money by suggesting some other must haves to get the spring spawn off to a good start.

Thanks in Advance

[78mudbug]

get some southern pro tubes in a few different colors.also some jigheads 1/32 and 1/16 are the most popular sizes. also get a few pkgs of curly tail grubs in different colors. also bobbers in different sizes and shapes u can float jigs under these. other folks will chime in and give u more ideas try some marabou jigs and deer hair jigs.and my favorite slider grubs with weedless slider jigheads

[deathb4disco]

What do you plan on doing? Troll crankbaits? Cast jigs? Dunk minnows? I would suggest different tackle for each one.

[78mudbug]

sent u a pm

[robertwherron]

Hi,I would take a good look at the kalins triple threat 2" grubs with a 1/32 or 1/16 oz. jighead(Bass Pro has these).Ask around at the local tackle shops and see what colors might be good on that particular lake and apply it the the kalins grubs.Also, 1/32 and 1/16oz. doll fly jigs will do well but I would not recommend the ones you buy at Bass Pro.There are quite a few people on here that tie them and sell them.....you can look up a member called skiptomylu and he has a website that he sells them on.I have never purchased anything from him but they look like they are really great quality I think the website is called thumpitjigs.com.I hope this helps you out I just started fishing with jigs and grubs for crappie a few years ago and it takes a litttle while to find out all the tricks and colors for each lake.Good luck!!!!

[CrappieKillerJigs]

i would just start off with the basic...no need to go buy a ton of tackle....get some 1/32 and 1/16 oz jigheads, some corks/floats,thin wire minnow hooks in size 4 and 2...but most of all some tube jigs...alot of people use southern pro but me myself i like Midsouth tubes....basic colors are red/char black/char white pink/white purple/white

[yankee doodler]

Gotta tip them jigs w/ crappie nibbles too. They are killer for me in the summer after the spawn. If you do any fly fishing and already have the setup, hit the shallows w/ a black ant during the spawn. Those one pounders will feel like four on a mid-weight fly rod.

[skeetbum]

I posted this for someone else a few days ago. It might help you some.

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Crestliner brought up what I had in mind. Rods depend on your individual style of fishin. We cast, drift, troll, anchor, shoot, push, and probably a few more styles that I can't remember right now. Some rods are task specific and others do multiple duty. A good start is a 5' ultralite with 4lb hi vis line. Next is a 7' lite action with 6 lb hi vis. With these two rods, and these don't have to break the bank, you can get cranked up on some of the most fun fishing at just the right time of year. Jigs are also a matter of choice. All have varied applications. For a start, tubes or panfish assassin tiny shad are a good starting point. Walmart plain lead head jigs with red hooks are cheap enough and are also a good starting point. 1/32, 1/16, and 1/8 are the most common sizes. Everyone has a favorite color or confidence bait, and you will have your own in no time. Pearl, black/gray, chartreuse, black/chart will get you off the ground. Small bobbers help keep you at the right depth during the spawn which has the fish in as little as a foot of water at times.
Welcome to the best Crappie forum there is, look forward to hearing of your exploits as you experience it firsthand. Middle Tennessee wavin its hand.
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