Why do crappie like a still jig?

[Zippy]

Has anyone ever thought about this? I know the easy answer is they just do but I was wondering what about a crappie makes them prefer this presentation. With bass and almost all other gamefish a seductive action usually triggers more strikes. In most cases with crappie it seems like it's the opposite. Too much action and sometimes anything other than just sitting there seems to spook them. i have caught way more crappie in my life with no action. Even a slow steady retreive when casting outfishes a jigged lure every time. When verticle jigging it almost always a still jig that gets the strike. Just wondering why.

[DockShootinJack]

For allot of your crappie jigs. Tubes, stingers from Southern Pro, Bobby Garland baby Shad at never still the tail or tails on a tube are almost always moving. Even if its very slight. Could mimic an injured bait fish or one that just isn't paying attention. But one thing is for sure a meal you don't have to chase is an easy meal.

[deathb4disco]

For allot of your crappie jigs. Tubes, stingers from Southern Pro, Bobby Garland baby Shad at never still the tail or tails on a tube are almost always moving. Even if its very slight.

This ^^^^^

What we consider "still" is not necessarily "still" to crappie.

That being said, a slow, steady retrieve has accounted for about 99% of my crappie.

[matzilla]

easy meal...

its funny because through the ice they never really go after a stationary jig

[DockShootinJack]

I am with Deathb4disco. Slowing down and fishing has accounted for most of the crappie I catch. I will fish an area being someone that has been reeling jigs at hyper speed and pick up fish they left. Usually bigger fish than the ones I saw them catch.

[Zippy]

I guess that's true, the boat is moving, I'm talking,turning to look at the sonar, laughing etc. that's gotta be wiggling that thing under the surface. I just know that before I really started to get into crappie and I tried for them I was really jigging. I mean it's called a jig right? Anyhow my catch was never great. Once I calmed down I was amazed that one little pop and then a long rest brought all the strikes. The other day I found a stump in 13 feet of water loaded with fish. All it took was dropping the jig down and leaving it there. 10 - 15 seconds later thump you had one. I just love that, lol.

[deathb4disco]

I just know that before I really started to get into crappie and I tried for them I was really jigging. I mean it's called a jig right?

In forty years of jig fishing for crappie, I have never "jigged" my jig. A slow, steady retrieve rules.

[DockShootinJack]

Take a jig on a line and hold it in a glass of water and see if you can hold it still. Did this with a badly shad style jig and some hand tied marbou. Your very beat is enough to make them move especially the tail. Had some minnows in an aquarium they would suspend and not move except the tail and fins would be moving a little. Holding the above mentioned jig in the tank gave very similar movements as the live minnow. Which after all what we are trying to convince the crappie our jig is.

[Zippy]

Thats true, I guess I have never seen a minnow bobbing up and down. Usually they just sit there and flit their fins a bit to stay in place.

[skeetbum]

In winter I (and several others) fish deep timber with braid and heavy jigs. As already stated and occasional tap of motion is all I try to give the jig. Several times this past winter I had seen a fish on the sonar and tapped the jig once, a very slight motion, and let it be still again. Seconds later a thump was the reward. I too am convinced that less is more as imparting motion to the jig has resulted in less fish for the partner until he began "dead sticking" as I was. On a brush pile I use what I was once told was the "pitch and glide". Pitch the jig, usually very light. Take a half a turn on the reel til the line lays in a bow from your raised rod tip and let it fall. Watching the line and counting as it falls will give you an idea of how deep the fish are when the line twitches as the fish takes it. When it gets below where I have caught fish before I begin a very slow retrieve, barely turning the reel and keeping the jig as close to the strike zone as I can. No retrieve is complete without a stall of a half a second to let it fall momentarily before resuming it's path, frequently triggering a strike. When you think you're going slow enough, slow down some more. That was told to me many years back and holds true yet today.