trying to learn

[sokol]

haw many different crappie jigs, most of you guys, who are fishing for crappie for a while
have in a tackle box, what i am trying to ask what is the reasonable min good crappie's hunter has. And i understand, it's not only jigs and they are different size color head shape hooks sizes , weights etc.....
As far i understand in California you can fish 2 rods max with a max two hooks each , and how often during fishing day you are trying to change them looking for fish according to the time of the day water color and again etc.....????

[Hillbilly910]

quick math says i have 28 different color patterns in the bag, you break that down further into roughly 8 different styles of soft baits(tubes, grubs,stingers ect).
Then youve got hard baits and spinner baits...

[gabowman]

I use only 1 type jig and that's a round head 1/16th jig with a light wire hook. I have about every color of curly tail combinations made in the blues, blacks, greens, pinks, and yellows. And then some other colors I cant think of right now.:p 'Course my fishing is alot different than yours since we can fish unlimited # of rods so I longline 10 rods at once pulling single jigs and 2 jigs per line.

[sokol]

Thank you for reply, how often during the day you change colors patterns , how many rods you are fishing with the same time.
I just trying to figure out for my self how active you have to be to do it wright.

[sokol]

Thank you for info and honestly have a feeling being very LIMITED in CA. Before you lounge the boat you already spend around 25-30 $ And i know it will not change any thing for people who love fishing the best , and this is not about to bring home as much as you can , but if you are fishing 3-4 time a months you really want to have more actions to enjoy the ride...

[jeepguyjames]

I am a (plastic) jig junkie.....that being said my selection of jig bodies is A LOT......but in all honesty a handful of tubes in dirty & clear water colors should be more than enough. Check out the DIY plastics threads, there's some very talented guys on here who make jigs for a very reasonable price......I usually have an idea of what kinda color I'm going to pitch depending on water clarity, and if it sunny or overcast......keep it simple at first so your not overwhelmed when you see all those different colors and shaped jigs.....a handful of tubes and some (snakeriver's) shad stingers in a bright color (maybe blue/ chart) combo, a few in white & a darker color (black/chart) combo should get you going.....oh yea and electric chicken (color)...good luck & God bless

[Lowellhturner]

Don`t overlook "glo" jigs for fishing at dusk, dawn, and deeper water; a "glo" ice jig 12- 18" beneath a regular jig can account for half my catch at certain times of the year. And keep asking questions, someone here has "been there, done that, got the T shirt"...

[BigMack]

I know that sounds way to simple but it's not.
I rely on about 50 years of experience and the best thing I finally learned was
to remember what they wanted (or Hated) at a certain time or condition at times in the past.

Our last tourney was based on what I remembered way, way back when I was a teen in
deep east Tex wading around in Bluegill/Redear beds. Clear water and you could see
them hovering above the nest. You could put a worm, fly or cricket right in front of
their nose and they would only push it away from the bed.

Down in Livingston the girls were acting just like that. The boys would bite but they were not gonna win us anything. I put on a Black/Chart Rocky Top on a custom Pony Head and pitched it through the beds. After 9 good tourney size fish we put the rods in the boat and went in (PreFish day before the tourney).
Those girls hated that color and couldn't stand it moving in their territory.
I think they percieved it as small catfish looking for eggs to eat.
It was like bass fishing.
They hit it with a vengance, ran in circles and even jumped out of the water with it.
Thumbs Up
Most of your guides & Pros keep journals from year to year.
This is the best advise I would give to anyone who really wants to learn.
Listen to experience but remember to teach yourself by paying attention to the
surroundings.

[sokol]

Wow !!!! I believe 50 years of experience of fishing and analyzing of what you are doing made you to understand psychology of the things you are after , and i do believe this is the only way to succeed no meter what you do .
I have been fishing all my life back in Russia and when i came to USA i was doing mostly ocean fishing in NY Striped bass , Black fish , flounder , fluke , sea bass were my favorite.
I moved to LA couple years ago and started to fish lakes . I know it's not so many people in America respect carp fishing but for me was a challenge to tie different kind of rigs
to cook different my own dough with a flavors for different lakes or time of seasons however if you really want to catch huge size of carp for a sport sake you have to chum .
after i get ticket for it $300 i switch to striped bass . Accidentely i caught crappie couple times did not know what kind of fish was that but look beautiful and happen to taste even batter . Most of the time i was after big sized fish as i sad for sport sake i caught sword fish in Miami 225 lb was the most exiting 2.5 hours of fight in my life .
After i get on line to learn about crappie fish i was surprise how interesting it might be , one one hand you can find fish in any lake just put a worm on a hook and any body can get lucky on another hand this is so exiting and sophisticated way to fish. Even lust year was not the best year of my life money wise, now i am looking to buy 12' aluminum used boat
just to learn and succeed in this sport , love the concept of using knowledge and every day experience and as YOU sad paying attention to the surrounding.
Thank you very much for your reply!!!!!!

[skeetbum]

Welcome from Middle Tennessee. If you were to buy 3 sizes of jigheads; 1/32, 1/16, and 1/8 you would have the most used sizes for us. These are bare lead heads, no color yet. Next buy some plastic bodies for the heads. Lets start with natural colors like grey/black, tan/pearl, blue/white, and 1 pack of chartreuse. These can be tubes or curly tails or Bobby Garland shad imitations, whichever you choose. A 5 to 7 foot lite to medium action rod with 4 or 6 lb test will do fine. A telltale bobber(Bobber on a stick) will give more indications of a strike the a regular round bobber. If it falls over then a fish has come up from underneath, set the hook. During the spawn you could start at about 2' deep and slowly shake the rod tip to give the jig a tiny action, move it a foot or two, and shake it again. casting near docks and downed trees and other structure should get you started catching some, and once found you can remove the bobber and cast to them directly. cast, reel enough to get the soft slack out of the line, and let the jig sink, the slower the better. Once you start this and pay attention to their reactions, and ask a few questions here for us to answer, you should be on your way. Tight lines and keep us posted.