How to setup a Crappie fishing rig?

[slab]

I have started to take my son fishing and the lake that is near us is boiling with crappie. I have no idea how to setup a rig for crappie fishing. I have search the web but can't find actual diagrams of rig setups. I would appreciate any help you could give.

Thanks, Billy

[Moose1am]

Slab:
There are about as many crappie fishing rigs as there are crappie fishermen. Everyone has a favorite and some used various techniques.

I can't speak for everyone but I can tell you what I have been using over the years.

Presently I am using a Graphite rod that is 7.5ft long with fugi type guides, a Daiwa Ultra Light Open Faced Spinning reel, Trilene XL 6lb Test line and Bass Pro Shop Squirmin Squirt Jig Bodies that are 1.5" long. I use 1/32oz and 1/16 oz lead head crappie jigs. I add a crappie nibble to the hook. I use a small foam slip float and thrill bobber stops which are comprised of about 6" long thread tied onto a small plastic tube with a nail knot. The thrill bobber stops also has some 3MM diameter bead that are used to stop the bobber from sliding down the line. I slip the bobber stop over the line and slide the tube with the line tired around the tube up the line. Then I slide the bobber stop line off the tube and tighten the bobber stop line onto my fishing line. I slide the old tube off the line. Then I slide a bobber stop bead on the line up to the bobber stop thread. Then I slide the bobber onto the line and then finally I tie the jig to the end of my fishing line. I add a plastic jig body to the jig head by threading the hook into the head of the jig body and then down the middle of the jig body and out though the opening at the end of the jig body. Now I add a crappie nibble to the hook. I tighen the bobber stop knot onto my fishing line at the proper deph. I can then cast the entire outfit out from the boat and the jig will sink until the bobber stop hits the bobber and stops the jig from sinking. I can slide the bobber stop up and down the fishing line to set the depth that I want to fish. Finding the right depth is key to crappie fishing. I am able to fish anywhere from 1ft deep to 8ft deep with this setup.

I also use a 12ft bnm jig pole and fish the jigs tightling with no bobber. I simply tie the jig about 2ft above the end of the line with a palmar knot. Then I add a drop shot to the end of my fishing line under the jig. You can find the finess drop shots at www.bassproshops.com

I also have used a long cane pole and 12lb test monofilament line with a Kentucky Lake crappie rig attached. This outfit can be found in most stored down by Kentucy Lake. I used live bait with this outfit. Shiners or Chub minnows of about 1" to 2" long will work great. You can fish this outfit tighline or with a bobber attached to the line.

Any long pole with some line and hooks can be used to catch crappie when the crappie are in shallow water.

I am sure that others will have other methods that are effective.


Many people will used a rod holder on their boat and fish with multiple rods.
That is called spider rigging.

I recommend the book "Crappie Wisdom" which is a great book on crappie fishing. It covers about everthing. Also the magazine "Crappie World" is another good source of information on the who what when where and how of crappie fishing.

I have started to take my son fishing and the lake that is near us is boiling with crappie. I have no idea how to setup a rig for crappie fishing. I have search the web but can't find actual diagrams of rig setups. I would appreciate any help you could give.

Thanks, Billy

[CrappiePappy]

I'll take it that your son is young and inexperienced....with that idea in mind, I'd suggest a spincast outfit with a 4.5 to 5ft rod. I'd use 6-8lb test line. On the line, first place a "bobber stop" of some type - then a plastic bead that is too big to go thru the hole of a styrofoam float - then the float itself. Attach a pinch-on sinker (#4 or smaller, depending on size of float) - then about 6 inches below the sinker tie on a light wire hook (#1 size). Run the hook thru a minnow - either thru the back (between top fin and lateral line), thru the tail, or thru the eye socket (behind the eyeballs, not thru them). Move the "bobber stop" up the line to the desired depth...... You're now ready to "minner fish" ...
Teach him to "pitch" the minnow/float setup - until he's old enough to grasp the "casting" technique. If he's real young - cast it for him. Teach him to watch the float for any action ... and when the float goes under - teach him to start reeling until he feels the pull (weight) of the float in the rod - THEN JERK THE ROD "AWAY" from the direction of the float.
You might also want to take along some worms - put them on when the Crappie action gets slow or his attention wanders ... the Bluegill (and Crappie) will keep him occupied, honing his skills in "float watching" and "hook setting" .... while providing him with the thrill of actually seeing the "hit" and feeling the fight of the fish - and getting the all important "approval and admiration" from his "fishing partner"/mentor/dad !! Hey - it worked for me ... and I still get a charge out of seeing the float go under - 45yrs later !

If (or once) he's old enough or skilled enough to cast - put on a marabou crappie jig of 1/16oz size, a 1/32oz Beetle Spin, a 1/32-1/16oz Roadrunner, or weedless jighead and a tube/grub body ... teach him to cast beyond the target area - slowly but steadily reel the bait back - watch the line for telltale signs of a hit - how to set the hook when he "sees" or "feels" a hit - and how to play the fish to the boat/net. ......luck2ya ............cp

[jwateacher3]

Slab:
There are about as many crappie fishing rigs as there are crappie fishermen. Everyone has a favorite and some used various techniques.

I can't speak for everyone but I can tell you what I have been using over the years.

Presently I am using a Graphite rod that is 7.5ft long with fugi type guides, a Daiwa Ultra Light Open Faced Spinning reel, Trilene XL 6lb Test line and Bass Pro Shop Squirmin Squirt Jig Bodies that are 1.5" long. I use 1/32oz and 1/16 oz lead head crappie jigs. I add a crappie nibble to the hook. I use a small foam slip float and thrill bobber stops which are comprised of about 6" long thread tied onto a small plastic tube with a nail knot. The thrill bobber stops also has some 3MM diameter bead that are used to stop the bobber from sliding down the line. I slip the bobber stop over the line and slide the tube with the line tired around the tube up the line. Then I slide the bobber stop line off the tube and tighten the bobber stop line onto my fishing line. I slide the old tube off the line. Then I slide a bobber stop bead on the line up to the bobber stop thread. Then I slide the bobber onto the line and then finally I tie the jig to the end of my fishing line. I add a plastic jig body to the jig head by threading the hook into the head of the jig body and then down the middle of the jig body and out though the opening at the end of the jig body. Now I add a crappie nibble to the hook. I tighen the bobber stop knot onto my fishing line at the proper deph. I can then cast the entire outfit out from the boat and the jig will sink until the bobber stop hits the bobber and stops the jig from sinking. I can slide the bobber stop up and down the fishing line to set the depth that I want to fish. Finding the right depth is key to crappie fishing. I am able to fish anywhere from 1ft deep to 8ft deep with this setup.

I also use a 12ft bnm jig pole and fish the jigs tightling with no bobber. I simply tie the jig about 2ft above the end of the line with a palmar knot. Then I add a drop shot to the end of my fishing line under the jig. You can find the finess drop shots at www.bassproshops.com

I also have used a long cane pole and 12lb test monofilament line with a Kentucky Lake crappie rig attached. This outfit can be found in most stored down by Kentucy Lake. I used live bait with this outfit. Shiners or Chub minnows of about 1" to 2" long will work great. You can fish this outfit tighline or with a bobber attached to the line.

Any long pole with some line and hooks can be used to catch crappie when the crappie are in shallow water.

I am sure that others will have other methods that are effective.


Many people will used a rod holder on their boat and fish with multiple rods.
That is called spider rigging.

I recommend the book "Crappie Wisdom" which is a great book on crappie fishing. It covers about everthing. Also the magazine "Crappie World" is another good source of information on the who what when where and how of crappie fishing.

[jwateacher3]

I am new to crappie fishing. What are crappie nibbles? never herd of them. Did you also right that you use 1 to 2 inch minniws for crappie fishing? I have been using 3 to 3.5 inch minnows and not having the best of luck. I fish on the hawissiee river and chickamauga lake in SE tennessee?

[Moose1am]

I replied to this question in private but I also wanted to make the reply public.
Crappie nibbles are made by Berkley. They are baits that you can put on the hooks. They look like small marshmellows and are of the same consistancy of a marsh mellow. They come in a small glass jar with a metal screw top lid. Each one is about the size of a small bb or pellet. I use the chartruse ones. They come in yellow, red and chartruse. They also have some that have sparkles in them. If you watch a captive aquarium crappie eat a minnow you will notice that the aquarium water suddenly has hundreds of minnow scales floating around in the water. You can see them because the tiny minnow scales reflect the light as they float in the water. The other crappie see this and they know that it's feeding time.

You should be able to find the crappie nibbles at the local walmart sporting goods dept. also Dick's Sporting Goods Store carrys them. I would imagine that a lot of fishing supply stores carry them.

I am new to crappie fishing. What are crappie nibbles? never herd of them. Did you also right that you use 1 to 2 inch minniws for crappie fishing? I have been using 3 to 3.5 inch minnows and not having the best of luck. I fish on the hawissiee river and chickamauga lake in SE tennessee?

[lebruce]

Slab, you I don't know if these are what your looking for or not.There's a few towards the bottom of the page you can use. http://www.combat-fishing.com/basicu...0or%20on%20the

[1weezer]

Go to www.crappiestuff.com and check out the article called Spider Rigging 101.

[Jeannie]

Moose,
I learned recently that crappie actually "scale" the minnows as they suck them in. That's why you see the scales floating after they eat. If you watch a crappie eat one filmed in super slow motion, you can see it happen. It made me wonder if that's why they tend to strike on the vertical? Just an interesting tidbit I didn't know before!

Jeannie
CrappieStuff.com

I replied to this question in private but I also wanted to make the reply public.
Crappie nibbles are made by Berkley. They are baits that you can put on the hooks. They look like small marshmellows and are of the same consistancy of a marsh mellow. They come in a small glass jar with a metal screw top lid. Each one is about the size of a small bb or pellet. I use the chartruse ones. They come in yellow, red and chartruse. They also have some that have sparkles in them. If you watch a captive aquarium crappie eat a minnow you will notice that the aquarium water suddenly has hundreds of minnow scales floating around in the water. You can see them because the tiny minnow scales reflect the light as they float in the water. The other crappie see this and they know that it's feeding time.

You should be able to find the crappie nibbles at the local walmart sporting goods dept. also Dick's Sporting Goods Store carrys them. I would imagine that a lot of fishing supply stores carry them.

[Jeannie]

Crappie Nibbles are the absolute best way to tip a jig other than a minnow! Chartreuse is the best overall color and a must when minnows aren't getting the bite. You can get them at Bass Pro, Cabelas, and even Walmart. Look for the Power Bait section to find them.

Jeannie
CrappieStuff.com

I am new to crappie fishing. What are crappie nibbles? never herd of them. Did you also right that you use 1 to 2 inch minniws for crappie fishing? I have been using 3 to 3.5 inch minnows and not having the best of luck. I fish on the hawissiee river and chickamauga lake in SE tennessee?