New to board with tackle questions

[Jeff H]

Hi all,

I've been lurking a bit and recently joined in hopes of putting the crappie puzzle together. Been a bass fisherman all my life but my youngest son (7yrs) has expressed a desire to pursue some crappie this year and...well, I'm lacking in that dept.

I'm wondering what lures I should stock up on. What are considered the hot color choices. Mainly, the waters we fish are clear small lakes (btw,we are in MN).

Anybody big on the Slider stuff? Looks worthy to me. Also, what about the smaller Gapens Ugly Bugs??

Throw me all your suggestions, I have a box to fill with near nothing in it.

[skiptomylu]

From Toledo Bend Texas!

If you get to where you want some good hand tied jigs take a look at my web site.

Skip

[ga.crappie&breamguy]

welcome from se ga. i to am in the same boat as i am new at the crappie fishing. thats what i did was get some of skips jigs. and i have been very pleased with the workmaship of them. i still havent caught a crappie yet but that will change soon i hope.

[smashdn]

If I had never fished for crappie ever before and had nothing here is the list I would have when i went to the sporting goods store to get rigged up.

No 2 Aberdeen hooks, gold or red
Split shot sinkers a few sizes
1/8 and 1/16 oz marabou jigs (blue/white, red/white, chartreuse, and black/chartreuse)
Some oval clip bobbers


You can fish minnows under a bobber, jigs under a bobber, jigs tipped with a minnow under a bobber, jigs tipped with a minnow (or part of a minnow), or just a plain jig.

That would be the cheap route. Or you can order up a bunch custom jigs from the guys that tie them here.

You mentioned slider grubs. That is what I use 98% percent of the time. Just like bass fishing. Cast it out reel it in. Use the crappie slider jig heads so that you can fish them weedless, especially with a 7 year old.

[Eager Beaver]

Hi all,

I've been lurking a bit and recently joined in hopes of putting the crappie puzzle together. Been a bass fisherman all my life but my youngest son (7yrs) has expressed a desire to pursue some crappie this year and...well, I'm lacking in that dept.

I'm wondering what lures I should stock up on. What are considered the hot color choices. Mainly, the waters we fish are clear small lakes (btw,we are in MN).

Anybody big on the Slider stuff? Looks worthy to me. Also, what about the smaller Gapens Ugly Bugs??

Throw me all your suggestions, I have a box to fill with near nothing in it.

First, welcome to the site! As for what kind of tackle to use. If you ask a dozen different fishermen you will get a dozen different answers. They all will work at different times. The Crappie can be very finicky at time and will get a severe case of lockjaw and nothing will work at other times. I have them all and use several during a days fishing. What will work now won't work if the clouds move in or if it was cloudy and the sun pops out. Sometimes they want a fast moving bait and then sometimes they want a very suttle bait that just sits there with no action. You asked about the sliders and yes they really work great at times but again not all the time. I take Minnows and Nightcrawlers along whenever I go fishing. I am a firm believer in giving the fish what it wants to snack on and not what I want him to bite on. There are people on here that say only really fishermen use only lures to catch Crappie but they won't catch Crappie all the time either. I use the Road Runners most, of all the lures that I use. Now as far as colors there are over a thousand different colors it seems to each and every different lure made. But a few basic colors will get you started. Chartreuse, yellow, White, Black, Red, pink, a nutral color. These will get you started and then there are the combinations of colors. After a front moves through I like to throw a red head roadrunner with a white body like a bubble belly. Colors aren't the same for different lakes and each lake will support a different color that the fish will like. Even the style of lure will be different. If you pick a lure and the fish takes it in there mouth deep then you can bet it is what they are looking for. But if they are tail biting it and you are missing them then you need to change the color of the tail and just experiment to find what color they want at that time. Then you have the size of jig to use. Most of the time I use a 1/16th oz jig but if they are picky or skidish I will drop down to a 1/32 oz jig or if they like it fast then I will go to a 1/8th oz jig head. Once you get some experience the fish will tell you what they want and what speed and color they want. You just have to ask them and be willing to listen to what they will tell you. Hope this hasn't confused you to much. EB

[crappiman]

Welcome Jeff.If you are fishing clear lakes you might have better luck catching crappie at night in the summer.If this is an option,we would like to introduce our product to help you achieve the experience.

[logsam]

Hi Jeff! I don't know what part of the world you are from, but I have a suggestion. A seven year old child has a short attention span. If you want to hook him on fishing hire a guide. Some of these guys will go the extra mile to give you and your son a quality experience. I don't think he will stay interested long if his bobber ain't going down pretty often. Probably won't be the best time for him (or you) if you're both learning. As a bass fisherman you can understand the importance of local knowledge. A good guide will teach you more in a half day trip than you can learn in a week by yourself. I have three sons and I know they expected results when just starting. Several guides post here.

[WhitePerchJerker]

Looks like you are getting lots of good info, Welcome and post some pictures of you and son's catch

[father of 4]

Welcome from North Texas

[deathb4disco]

Anybody big on the Slider stuff?

I'm a big fan of sliders and their creator, the late Charlie Brewer. Here's an excellent article on how to fish them. This method is applicable to ALL jigs (hair, feathers, and plastic), not just sliders. I've been using the method for over thirty years, and it has accounted for many crappie, bass and bluegill.


Charlie Brewer's Slider Company Inc. - 1-800-762-4701; 931-762-4700