Fish Attractant (Crappie Nibbles)

[duke]

Have any of you ever used Berkley's Power Bait called Crappie Nibbles? If so, what do you think of it? My bro-in-law said he uses it and he is pleased with the results.
Since it is relatively inexpensive, I bought some and wonder if it's best to put it in front of the jig head, or behind/below it...on the hook? Any special care when you use it? How long does it last?
Thanks for any replies.

[JigMaster]

I used them for the first time this spring and I really believed they worked. I used mine behind the jig just on the hook. I also would pour a cap full out as soon as I started to fish in order for them to dry out. This helped them to handle better as well as stay on the hook longer.

[Moose1am]

If they get too dried out you can put them back in the jar and add a few drops of water to the jar. That water will be absorbed back into the crappie nibbles. Just one or two small drops of water. There are 20 drops of water to a Millimeter of water. So you are only adding 2/20th of a ml of water which is not very much. Screw the lid back on and let them sit in the jar for a while. They will soften back up in a short time. And if they get too wet just let the jar dry out in the sun for a few minutes.

I will put out about 10 to 15 nibbles on a spare unverted lid and set the lid out on the bow next to my feet where I can quickly reach them.

I add the nibbles on the hook after the plastic jig bodies is superglued into place. I put the nibble up close to the very back of the jig body next to the tenticles and somethings up into the hollow part of the plastic hollow jig.

It looks like the jig is carrying a batch of eggs in the tenticles.

I like to use Chartruse Colored Crappie nibbles as they are more easily seen in the stained to dirty waters that I fish most of the time.

I found out about crappie nibbles from a Patoka Lake Two time CrappieUSA spring tournament champion who I met on the lake while fishing. He was prefishing Patoka lake in early April and had located some 2lb slabs in some submerged timber. He fished that spot two years in a row in late April and won the Tournament both times. I figured he must know what he was doing so I asked him how he fished and he told me where and how to fish for the big slabs. I caught my first big Patoka Lake crappie in this spot. The fish weighted 1.5 lbs on my deliar scales. I forgot to measure it's length. I ended up letting her go along with another 1lb crappie that I caught that same day or the next day. I suspect that maybe they had a brush pile sunk somewhere amoung the submerged trees that was attracting the bigger slabs. I did find that if you can find a couple of trees that grow very close together (clumps of trees) that they hold the bigger fish. This same spot that may was full of small crappie. I caught about 100 small crappie in this spot that same year in May. They were all less than 5" long but they sure keep me busy and I went though a lot of crappie nibbles that day.

Do I think that crappie nibbles make a difference? You can bet your bottom boots I do. Ask Richard Williams about Crappie nibbles. He buys them by the case for his fishing guide business.

A jig is not a jig unless it's got a crappie nibble attached.

I used them for the first time this spring and I really believed they worked. I used mine behind the jig just on the hook. I also would pour a cap full out as soon as I started to fish in order for them to dry out. This helped them to handle better as well as stay on the hook longer.

[slabbandit]

I have a lot of experience using Crappie Nibbles on my jigs. As with most attractants, I am usually pretty skeptical about there effectiveness, but I am here to say that I will not leave the ramp without my Berkley Crappie Nibbles!

Actually, I prefer the ones with gold sparkles, "Gold Rush" is the name on the lid. I too like to set about a dozen out at a time to harden them up a little. I believe that as they are dissolving it appears as scales in the water. Just put them on your jig hook like putting a marshmallow on a stick. A word of caution though, I lost a good crappie one time because I put on a nibble that had gotten real hard and it kept the hook point from penetrating the crappies lip entirely.

My friend, one of the best jig fisherman on our lake, buys plain chartreuse Crappie Nibbles by the case. I can tell usually when I have lost my nibble as the frequency of taps slow down.


CATCH A BIG-UN

[Moose1am]

I have a lot of experience using Crappie Nibbles on my jigs. As with most attractants, I am usually pretty skeptical about there effectiveness, but I am here to say that I will not leave the ramp without my Berkley Crappie Nibbles!

I can tell usually when I have lost my nibble as the frequency of taps slow down.

I swear that this above statement is true. I too can tell when the nibbles are off the hook. I stop getting bites without a nibble on my jig. As soon as I put a new nibble on the hook I start catching fish again. NO BULL. These are the real deal guys.

I wish I could find some of the sparkle nibbles. They don't seem to carry them at my local supply house. Walmart.

I have noticed that the price has gone up and the weight of nibbles and the size of the jar has gotten smaller. Not sure I like that trend.

I have also noticed that the new batch of nibbles at Walmart seem to have a mold on them. I can see them inside the glass jar and they appear dirty or moldy.
CATCH A BIG-UN

[stray]

I’ve found that the nibbles help most of the time. We tried them by one of us fishing with the nibbles and the other didn't, we both used the same type, size, and color of jigs. Then we switched off, to remove any other variable. We found that the one using nibbles caught more fish. We did this a few different times and seasons, the only time the catch was close to the same, was during the spawn and it seemed to change from day to day even then. We both use the nibbles all the time. During the spawn though we will start with nibbles and then after the first fish we stop using them if we still are catching a lot of fish we save the nibbles, but if a few cast go by with out a catch we put the nibbles back on. They do defiantly help.

[Slab Hunter]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum but have been reading from time to time. I think crappie nibbles help more that they hurt. I have found that I get less bumps and taps, and more solid hook sets because they hold the jig longer.

I think in the spilt second of the initial strike, a crappie can sense the flavor of his pray and if you are not quick enough he can spit it out before you can react to set the hook.

When I use crappie nibbles I notice a more solid strike.

The problem is keeping them on the hook. I fish with 2 poles and 3 to 4 hooks per pole. One crappie shaking can take off the other 3 nibbles.

Slab Hunter

[slabbandit]

Addressing the problem of Crappie Nibbles dissolving off the hook too quickly,I have been using a turkey injector to push them up into my hollow tube jigs. Even with the injector this is no easy task. I am thinking about spending the money and investing in a "Cajun Bait Pistol". This appears to be a smaller version of a caulking gun designed to deliver the amount of pressure needed to easily pump the compacted Crappie Nibbles into the tube jig bodies. They sell for $35.00 in Crappie World Magazine but I believe I will save this much over a few months in not having to reapply my nibbles so often.

Also thinking about trying one of those battery powered welding pens for working on plastic baits to melt a few holes in the tube jigs to help the Crappie Nibbles ooze out of the jig. I've seen them in the Cabela's tackle craft catalog.



CATCH A BIG-UN

[1weezer]

I use around 60 cases of crappie nibbles a year. I guide on Kentucky Lake and any one that has ever been in my boat, can tell you that we catch more fish with jigs tipped with nibbles than tipped with minnows. Nibbles will melt off your hook after being in the water a little while. But that is a big part of the attractant. As they melt, they leave a cloud with a smell that fish seam to like. My favotie color is chart. I also use a lot of the orange trout nibbles. They are a little bigger plus they float. If one comes off your hook, you will see it floating. There are times when minnows will out produce the nibbles, but not very often. I never go fishing with out my nibbles.
My 2 cents worth.

[haugboss]

all you have to ask yourself is do you think a crappie would acually not bite because your jig had scent on it
i think not
sprays juices and nibbles are a pretty cheap investment into a good outing
my .04 cents
al