How do you vertical fish your jigs

[floaterguy]

I bought some new Bobby Garland soft plastics the other day, pretty much a few different bags of the baby shads in electric chicken, silver sparkle, orangish color and a bag of black w/yellow slab slayer. I was using a 1/8th jig head and while I got a handful of bites nothing seem to really want them. I was in 11-14fow, and the water is always cloudy/stained and only about 2ft of clarity. I had the most amount of bites using the silver color. I'd let it sink to the bottom, and give it a couple quick, short slight jerks and let it sit for a few seconds then repeat. I could see there were a lot of fish right by it (fish finder) but again nothing too interested. Is a 1/8th oz. jig head too big?

[shipahoy41]

I personally use 1/16th or even some 1/8th jig heads with soft plastic trailers about 99% of the time. My favorite set up is #4 pound, Hi Visability Yellow Stren fishing line and a slip float rig.
Set the depth and swim near the bottom or at a mid depth range very slowly.

[SKs Crappie Catching Adventures]

One of the more important things I think to getting your jig slammed by a crappie is keep your jig near some kind of structure....
The sayn "you ain't crappie fishn unless you get hung up every now & again" has held to be at the top of my success.....

[Badgerloader]

If fish are attracted to your jig but not biting, sweeten the jig with a Crappie Nibble. When this stops working, sweeten the jig with a waxie.

[deathb4disco]

CrappiePappy has written an article on "Vertical Casting". I've been using the same method for about forty years. It works!

[CrappiePappy]

CrappiePappy has written an article on "Vertical Casting". I've been using the same method for about forty years. It works!

Here's the article : Crappie Pappy Article

Other than using this method, if I were to encounter the same situation you've described, I would probably downsize my bait & jighead. If I had them, I might also consider adding some "meat", as Badgerloader suggests.

Their "interest" in your bait may have been more "curiosity" than a desire to feed on it. Their close proximity to the bottom could also be a sign that they were in a neutral/resting mode at the time, possibly from weather/water conditions.

[warmouth]

The shallower crappie that are holding in the structure are the more aggressive fish.

If I see that fish are hanging between 7-12 feet I'll drop my jig down to 7' and hold it still, then move it around the the other side of the tree. If no bites then I drop it 2' deeper and repeat, and then drop it 2' more to 11-12'. There is usually a quicker bite at the shallower depths and a more subtle bite if the deeper fish hit.

I use 1/16 oz if I'm fishing down to 10-15'. I fish standing timber in 5-30' of water, but I almost never fish deeper than 15' even in the deeper water. If crappie are holding shallower than 8' I generally use a 1/32 oz jig head.

I use a 12' jigging pole and 4lb mono.

If I start getting bites at 7-8' deep, that is generally the depth that I'll get bit all over the lake/cove whether I'm in 8' of water or 28'.

[Shad]

I personally use 1/16th or even some 1/8th jig heads with soft plastic trailers about 99% of the time. My favorite set up is #4 pound, Hi Visability Yellow Stren fishing line and a slip float rig.
Set the depth and swim near the bottom or at a mid depth range very slowly.

How do you fish a slip float in 11-14' of water??

[Locator79]

You really don't have to do anything, but drop it down and try to hold it still. Next to standing cover or laydowns is even better. Above the thermocline of course, been limiting out 83 deg. water 9' deep in standing timber.

[scrat]

"How do you fish a slip float in 11-14' of water??"
He uses a rubber bobber stop that slides up the line when it gets back to the top of the bobber it stops. I use the string type and it just winds back up into my reel with the line.