I suggest you start out by keeping it simple. Get a 12 foot pole and attach one of your bass fishing reels to it with some 10# mono. Buy some pre-tied Capps & Coleman double minnow rigs with some minnows and get to fishing.Thumbs Up
hey everyone i just got started on this website and am just starting out on catching crappie i have allot to learn from all of you crappie fishing masters. i live in California close to delta and a couple of lakes. My question for starters is whats the best bait to start out with ( jigs, minnows, lures) I have fished for bass so i kinda know little things but not anything at all for crappie. Also whats the best set up for them as far as pole real and line to use. Anything would help thanks!
I suggest you start out by keeping it simple. Get a 12 foot pole and attach one of your bass fishing reels to it with some 10# mono. Buy some pre-tied Capps & Coleman double minnow rigs with some minnows and get to fishing.Thumbs Up
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thank you for responding. i have a 9'6" with a spinning real is that ok to use. if i was to use jigs which color or kind work best.
Anything chartreuse is good... When I first started I went to wal mart and picked up some jigs already made, they are made by archie and have a pink jig head with a char. Grub, awesome is stained water.... Hopes this helps!
That will work just fine. You may want to put a small float over it so you can slow your presentation down while keeping it in the strike zone. Sometimes crappie can be finicky as to what color and what type of jig they prefer that particular day. You can even out their mood out by tipping them with a live minnow. Colorwise I would start with chartreuse and anything. Tubes jigs are nice, so are hair jigs and curly tails. A small amount of each type would be nice to have on-hand. You may want to consider a bottle crappie nibbles as well for those slow days.
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lol...Live bait is productive...Turn on your sonar,find some submerged wood in 10 to 20 feet of water that has some fish around it, drop a minnow down to a foot or two over the top, a slip bobber or straight line either seems to work for me... Might not be as exciting as some of the other ways to catch them but does have a pretty good success rate... They don't seem to grab the bait and go like shallow water fishing and you need to learn to kinda feel for them (moving the rod tip slowly up and down a few inches works for me) but after a little bit you start to get the hang of it.
You can use your Bass fishing knowledge & techniques (especially jig &/or live bait techniques)... just with downsized equipment.
Check on the Calif State Forum for local info, and possible hookups with members in your area or that fish the same waters.
Know of any brushpiles, stationary docks (on poles), standing trees, blowdown trees, bridge pillings ??? ... then read this & give it a try : Vertical Casting | Older Articles
First & foremost, though ... I would suggest that you study up on the fish, itself. Its habits, cover/food/temp preferences, seasonal migration patterns, & which of the two species is available in the waters you intend to fish ... are all important factors to consider.
The equipment you use is mostly personal preference, and incumbant upon what methods you intend to use (& what your bank account can handle Rofl).
... Luck2ya ... & Welcome to Crappie.com Thumbs Up
... cp
I fish with minnows about 90% of the time. A lot of great info has been given already and all I have to say is try a few techniques and then go with the one you enjoy the most but always be willing to change things up depending on what the crappie want that day at that hour.
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