Need help on picking jigs

[jcass]

If anyone can give me some advice here, it would be appreciated. I need to order some new jigs for the coming year and don’t know what to get. I started crappie fishing last year and did well on Northland jigs tipped with minnows, but I know you guys/ladies use other jigs. (I don’t have the confidence to go without minnows yet.)
If you had $30-$40 (do I need more?) to spend on jigs for the year, what would you get? Types, sizes, colors, etc. I fish mostly in Michigan both clear water and slightly muddy, usually slow trolling. I will also be fishing Bull Shoals in the spring while I am there for a walleye tournament, same jigs work there?
Thanks.

[Big Zig]

When you say "jigs" - most people think of either material tied jigs and/or plastics on a lead jighead. You've already found that by simply putting a minnow on an "undressed" jighead works as well.

I'm going to step out on a limp and say that - on average - most crappie fishermen throwing jigs are using 1/32oz. and 1/16oz. I've read of guys using up to 1/8oz. and down to 1/80 oz., but I believe these sizes tend to be on the outer edges of teh weight scale for crappie. There will always be exceptions.

Color choices are very broad as well. If you look through some of the past threads, you will see chartreuse comes up pretty often - that seems to be a pretty safe bet. Here again, everyone has their favorites - their confidence color(s) if you will.
White, yellow, black, red, chart., and orange are all good starting points (or any combination of these colors).

If you had $30-$40 (do I need more?) to spend on jigs for the year, what would you get?

Zigs Jigs - bet you didn't see that comin' did ya? :D

[crappieseeker]

Big Zig summed it up pretty well. Start out with 1/32 and 1/16 oz jig heads. Try tube jigs, bass assassins and a few hair jigs. Fish several different colors, especially the ones Zig mentioned. Try unpainted and painted heads.

[crap-king]

Mizmo tubes in the Earthtone and Duster series have worked well for us this year

[PIGINTHEPIGPEN]

For grubs, Culprit are pretty hard to beat. As far as jig head's, I have used about a dozon different brands but, Gamakatsu is the Sharpest hook I have ever found. If there is such a thing as a hook being to sharp, Gamakatsu is it

[Jason Piper]

I use Kalins 2 " Triple Threat Grubs found at Bass Pro Shops under soft baits and panfish. I use a 1/16 oz. jig head with a red hook. My best color by far has been Chartreuse shad. I would say that color works so well because I fish mostly stained water (visability from 1' to about 5'). I also like the Bumble Bee color. When I fish clear water I use the the brown crawdad or tennessee shad colors.
I prefer the soft plastic curly tail over any other crappie grub. I have tryed countless others and those seem to work the best! Try them this Spring and I will bet you will gain confedence in them!

[CrappiePappy]

our Tournament Sponsors and some of our members (plus a few of MY favorites)!!

P&S Tackle - hair/feather jigs ...and weedless (brush type guard) ball head jigheads

Oldham's Surelock Weedless Crappie jigs - 1/16oz unpainted with wire loop guard

Blakemore Roadrunners - 1/32oz & 1/16oz

Culprit Crappie baits

Southern Pro tubes

BPS Squirmin Squirts & Sparkle Squirts

Charlie Brewer Sliders

(generic) Marabou jigs

Panfish Assassins

Kalin's Grubs

Crappie Magic jigs & jigheads


Colors - most any color with Chartreuse tails or Chartreuse in combo with main body color ....
Also haves - black, reds, white, greens, yellow, motor oil, and pink (alone and/or in combo with Chartreuse or other contrasting colors).

If you need contact info for P&S Tackle, Oldham's, or Crappie Magic ... I'll be more than happy to post that for you. The others are usually available at most tackle outlets or Wally World. ................cp

[Tim The Lippa Rippa Mon]

I am with PiginthePen, my first criteria to meet for a jig is a high quality hook. I really like the new Black Pearl Sickle hooks, and Owner or Gamakatsu too. Simply awesome!

I also prefer jigs that have oversized hooks than from the norm whicn are typically found at Wally world, or any mom & pop bait shop. My favorite style is a 1/32 head, (regardless of shape) that has a #2 hook on it. There are only a few companies out there that do this, but still do exceptional work. My favorite is a jig manufacturer, and one of my sponsors too:Crappie Magic

Mike is a great fisherman, and the quality of his stuff is amazing. If you want Cadillacs, or just everyday jigs, go to him! You can't go wrong.

Full baskets to ya!

<,"}/>{ Rippa

[slabtroller]

If you are trolling there is nothing better than the jumping chollas we are using out west. Tip them with whatever you want, we mostly use Kalin's grubs, but minnows work great too. These things DONT LET GO OF A FISH, and you will definatly catch more with them. Use a rubber landing net or lip your catch, or you will be hopelessly snagged up in it with them. Even if the fish arent biting we catch a few just by trolling through the school.
Some of their chrome colors also flouresce which seems to work a little better than standard colors. They can be viewed at www.jumpingchollajigs.com and I'm told that sportsmans warehouse and bass pro shops are carrying them now.
Most of the guys trolling out here have stopped using any other jigs.

[Roberta]

And pick up a few insert heads for those tubes. They'll more naturally for you. I'll second Crappiepappy's mention of the sponsors. We really like Crappie Magic minnow heads. - Roberta