Let's say you're going crappie fishing

[NeonMoon]

...and no minnows are available (just a hypothetical situation). What would your 2nd choice for live bait be (assuming minnows would be your 1st)?

[CrappiePappy]

If you're talking "live" bait options :

Night time fishing .... I'd net some Brook Silversides
Day fishing .... I'd throw a castnet for Shad (Gizzard or Threadfin)

No nets .... I'd probably use Waxworms on a jig or microspoon

... cp

[deathb4disco]

...and no minnows are available (just a hypothetical situation).

Then, I'd use jigs.

If you're dead set on using bait, I'd take CP's suggestions. I haven't used minnows for crappie, though, in over thirty years. Jigs are awesome. Thumbs Up

[gabowman]

I'm doing as good with jigs as I am minners right now so I'd just go with my jigs if I cant find minners. I like fishing the minners on long poles spider rigging slow. There's just something about catching fish on long poles that I love. I'm still catching as many longlining jigs down around 10'-12' deep though.

[crappie10]

you can take a #8 carlisle hook. the one with the long shank and rig it with a piece of crawler that is a bit longer than the hook and it looks kinda like a dark minnow. just thread it on and push the hook through and leave a bit of a tail, so it is rigged straight.

[crappiemandan]

it would be a toss up between night crawlers on a simple hook or wax worms on jigs.

[Blackhawk19]

I don't use any other live baits, I would go from minnows to jigs.

[BigRiverMarine]

Hands down, wax worms on a jig!!! Maybe butter worms, but I've never used or seen them here.

[Crappie 1]

Small jigs & a piece of worm..

[CrappiePappy]

Those of you whom advocate using a piece of "worm" on a hook, to catch Crappie .... How do you keep the ever present Bluegill & other sunfish from biting before a Crappie has a chance at it
Even when using minnows, I'm sometimes battling to keep the minnow alive & kicking long enough for a Crappie to consider eating it ... since the Bluegills/sunfish sometimes think I'm trying to feed THEM Doh Rofl
And I'm not talking about Bluegills/sunfish of any keeper size ... but, those little bait-stealers that can nip a worm off a hook in a couple of quick yanks, or injure/kill or remove a minnow from the hook in a matter of seconds.

I have enough trouble with them yanking on the 'skirt/legs' of my plastic jig bodies ... not only eventually destroying the jig body, but keeping me constantly setting the hook without results !! Adding a piece of worm would seem to only be inviting even more problems from these little critters Doh

... cp