Live bait for Crappie

[Sailor Jerry]

Hey guys!

Just getting into Crappie fishing and curious what you guys use for live bait and how you catch them. We went bobber fishing at a local lake last night and I caught my first crappie ever just off of a plain jane worm. Just curious what works the best, I hear minnows work great but I need to know how to set it up. Whether it works best with bobbers or how exactly to do it.

Very enjoyable and relaxing fishing, just need some pointers!
Let me know please as we are going tonight to a lake where I know they've been hitting and what depths they are usually at!

I'm a rookie...what can I say

[Mean Green 2]

Well jigs and minnows are good for crappie. Minnows can be fished under a bobber on a size 1-6 hook (little bigger than you would use for bluegill). Jigs can be cast and slowly retrieved or used under a bobber with a twitching action. That should get you started any other questions just ask someone on here will have a answer for you. Hope this helps.

[skiptomylu]

As much as I hate minnows I do use them in the summer at night, but always have a jig tied on below them for weight and bait. The jig usually catches the bigger fish. I use a Gamakatsu drop shot hook (#2 or #1) for the minnow as I like sharp small wire hooks so they move around better. The hook is tied on about 18" above the jig. The more wind you have the bigger the jig is will help the feel and I use a 1/4 oz. jig most of the time doing this.

Good Luck,

Skip

[deathb4disco]

Very enjoyable and relaxing fishing, just need some pointers!

Minnows are the best crappie bait, but I use jigs exclusively. See my PM.

[CrappiePappy]

Hey guys!
Just getting into Crappie fishing and curious what you guys use for live bait and how you catch them. We went bobber fishing at a local lake last night and I caught my first crappie ever just off of a plain jane worm. Just curious what works the best, I hear minnows work great but I need to know how to set it up. Whether it works best with bobbers or how exactly to do it.
Very enjoyable and relaxing fishing, just need some pointers!
Let me know please as we are going tonight to a lake where I know they've been hitting and what depths they are usually at!
I'm a rookie...what can I say

If you want to try minnows ... go for it. You will need a minnow bucket, minnow dipper net, and some #2 or #4 light wire Aberdeen hooks & some #4 size Water Gremlin pinch-on sinkers. If you're fishing from shore or dock, and need to cast out to get to the spot ... I suggest some slip floats & bobber stops. If fishing from a boat, dock, pier, etc ... and you can fish directly below you ... you won't necessarily need the floats. If you have to cast ... hook the minnow behind the eyes, thru the eye socket (and don't puncture the eyeballs) ... they'll stay on better. If you don't have to cast out ... you can hook the minnow thru the back, between the top fin & the backbone. Just be careful and don't hook the minnow too close to the backbone, because if you hit the backbone ... minner dead :p
If you know the depth ... set your minnow to be about 1ft or less above that depth. Crappie feed "up" ... and will more willingly come up for a bait, than go down for it. It also helps with the detection of a bite ... float will go down, or rod tip will bend down ... depending on which method you're using.

IF the fish are no deeper than the length of the rod you are using ... you CAN get away with using a snap-on bobber or spring float. Otherwise, it behooves you to have some slip floats on hand And you will need some type of "bobber stop" ... there's several different kinds (rubber, plastic, thread), or you can use a portion of a rubber band or even a piece of dental floss .... anything you can tie/fix to the line, that won't slip easily, and will stop the slip float at the depth you want to fish.

You can use jigs ... and just cast them out and slowly reel them back in. You can also use a plain jighead, and hook the minnow under the chin and out between the nostrils, and do the same. Hits on a jig or jig/minnow will be different than with a float or tightline fishing. Watch the line, as you reel back in ... if the line jumps, starts moving off to one side (rather than coming straight back at you) or it suddenly goes slack (and you know you're not on the bottom) .... set the hook !!

If you're fishing straight down (with or w/o bobber) ... and you still want to experiment with a jig, but don't want to or can't cast it ... try Vertical Casting. Simply put, it's dropping the jig to the bottom or well below the depth the fish are suspended at ... then very slowly reeling it back up. Here's an article I wrote, that goes into more detail about "how to" :

Crappie.com - Crappie Fishing Information and Adventure - Vertical Casting

Alrighty then .... you've been told enough to be dangerous :p ... so go out there and give 'em a shot. Come back and report on what you did and what happened. Ask all the questions you want, and we'll try and answer them. And, if you really whack 'em ... be sure and take pics, & post them for us to see !!

.... luck2ya ... cp

[grizzlysteve]

you being in iowa your water temps are probably close to what they are here(kansas city) i'd start 2-5' deep and 2-10' from shore, if they aren't there then they're somewhere else.i'd suggest a small hook file too, a sharp hook does wonders and it don't take long for them to dull. it takes a light touch to set the hook in a crappie, just a raise of the wrist. a sharp hook will help avoid missing the set.

[Shoemoo]

Be sure to check your regs. Some states don't allow live fish to be used as bait.

[Sailor Jerry]

Man, you guys are quick responders! Thanks for all of the input and my brother and myself are hitting a local lake today where they have been catching crappie on minnows and jigs and hoping to have some good luck.

Thanks for the warm welcome to

[rnvinc]

West ky says hey ya'll...welcome to the forum!!


There are so many ways to catch crappie... and you'll find info on just about every tactic there is in this forum...and plenty of people willing to help you with your new venture of crappie fishin...

Read, read, read, and then, when you have questions...ask, ask, ask.....

Try any tactic these guys tell you if you think that tactic might interest you...

Everyone has different tastes in how they most enjoy catchin crappie...but don't limit yourself to learnin just one tactic because what works one day might not work the very next day....

Armed with the knowledge of a few tactics and the general knowledge of where the crappie should be in their seasonal patterns for your area of the country and you'll be well on your way to being a crappie "addict"....

[Ken Jones]

Learn to Tube fish and you won't have to bother with minnows.