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Thread: Big Lures = Big Fish?

  1. #1
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    Default Big Lures = Big Fish?


    Not so sure this applies to crappie. Caught some brutes today with a small "Panfish Assassin". This little straight tail, do-nothing plastic has been producing big time for me. Sometimes even better than the Baby Shad, which is a bit larger (longer). Trying some Brewers "Bass Grubs" (with the paddle tail) and have caught nothing with those as yet, but I'm still trying (these are 2 1/2" bodies). So, I'm guessing the reverse is probably true with our crappie species. Yes? No?
    "A voyage in search of knowledge need never abandon the spirit of adventure."

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    I figure it's more like what the bait fish size is. Here we have tons of larger Shad and even dinks kill bigger baits. I catch a few each season using oversized 3/8 oz double willow leaf spinnerbaits while Bass fishing! My favorite bait for Crappie year round here is a 1/8 oz leadhead pushed inside a 2'' Southern Pro Umbrella tube to add bulk. It is double the size most I see fishing using for Crappie.

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    Thanks for your input. I'll keep trying some of my larger plastics.
    "A voyage in search of knowledge need never abandon the spirit of adventure."

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    Not sure about "bigger for Crappie". When I did a lot of Walleye fishing, the method was always "Big fish want a big meal". How that applies to Crappie I'm not sure. I know they like bigger minnows sometimes.


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    not really and yes is the answer. its a matter of getting the rite bait in front of that trophy at the rite time. some days its small some days it big. its more important to get location down IMO. same holds for all fish. now using live 3" shad will keep the dinks off your hook, which leaves it open for big momma. so in a way the answer is yes too. lol its more a matter of the fishes mood. pick a good lake and learn it.

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    In my experience, I notice that it is not the size of bait fish in area as much as the mood the fish are in.If it is a slow day like no wind ,high bluebird sky,that is when I will even cut off half of a bait like a bass assassin and jig over them and have caught fish up to 17 inches but you need water thats not too muddy, fairly clear.It use to surprise me how big of a fish that would hit such a small bait when I had already offered them a fair size bait and would not hit it
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    For me the question of big bait versus small baits as being effective has been settled after seeing 4+" shad floating in my live well the crappie had spit up. It's still a day to day process of trying to determine whether it's a big bait day or a smaller bait. It frequently amazes me at how small a crappie will hit a bait larger than it is. Just part of the enjoyment of crappie fishing I guess.
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    Quote Originally Posted by genec View Post
    In my experience, I notice that it is not the size of bait fish in area as much as the mood the fish are in.
    This is so true. I have seen slabs on samll lakes hit a full size rattle traps at times and other times the same lake the crappie will only hit a 1/64 oz 1.5" tube spider rigged really slow. Crappie will hit what they are feeding on at any given time. This is where knowing the seasons, the different algae blooms and insect hatches help us find and catch fish fast on a particular lake at a particular time of the year. Crappie also have to compete with larger more dominant fish, Bass, Pike, Chain Pickerel, catfish, etc.. they don't always get to eat baitfish so they move on to insects, daphnia and copepods. We just have to make the right decisions based on the environment we are in at any given time.
    Just some of my thoughts on this.
    Keep some for the pan, let the larger ones go back for another day!
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    Rules are made to be broken. I caught a 30" Pike while jigging for perch with a small minnow on a Mr. Crappie hook on 6 lb. test. Dangdest thing I ever saw.
    Last edited by CrappiePappy; 09-22-2012 at 08:56 PM.

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    I catch a lot of dinks on 3" and 3 1/2" crankbaits all year while crappie and walleye fishing. Lots of shad in my home lake in that size range so I am in the camp of they'll eat whatever they're used to seeing.

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