Big Minnows for Crappie? 5"-6" Shiners?

[Festus_Haggen]

Has anyone ever caught crappie using big minnows? There is a pond nearby which has a few nice crappie in it, along with largemouths, bluegills, and catfish. We went there a few years ago with some 6" silver shiners (not the big golden shiners) to fish for bass, because they get awful finicky in the pond sometimes. We caught more crappie than we did bass, and most of them were at least 11" to 12" long, one or two were at least 15". I've fished that pond with regular tuffie minnows before, you know, 2" or 3" long, but usually caught bream or small bass and no crappie. I had a problem with the bluegills just hitting the minnow, killing it, and not trying to eat it.

Has anyone else caught crappie this way? I've caught quite a few on spinnerbaits bass fishing, well, 4" and 6" plastic worms, also. I got a big surprise one day-I had just strung new line on an 8' surfcaster spinning rod, and took it to the same pond just to get the line wet and set good. I put on a muskie sized either Roostertail or Mepps inline spinner, slung it out as far as it would go, and caught the most unusual crappie I've ever seen. It must have been a female that had just spawned, it looked to be 16" or 17" long, but no girth. Matter of fact, it probably didn't have a girth any bigger than a bass. Has anyone seen crappie with these characteristics and would you know why they would be in this shape?

[foul hook]

I use 3to 4 in shiners with good success. I caught a 14 in crappie with a 4 in shad in his mouth. I dont think that I would use anything larger. The largers crappie I have caught was on a 1/4 oz. spinner bait. Go figure!

[wildhunter066]

Several years ago me and a friend was bass fishing a pond. He thought he had caught a limb turned out to be the biggest crappie i have ever seen easily over 16 in but was absouletly thin as a 6in fish.

[feelay]

Big bait = big fish

[The Lip RIPPERS]

In lakes if they are feeding on 4"-5" forage big minnows work great, we used to fish for pond bass using perch under a float and caught some huge crappie as well!

[gone_fishing]

I caught a 13 inch crappie this spring that had a 5 inch shad in its belly.

[JCCLARK]

I caught big crappie on the river once useing shiners,
they wouldn't hit regular minnows, weird but true.

[Arkie John]

I grew up using shiners for bass. Never caught a crappie on one though.

aj

[GRIZZ]

It must have been a female that had just spawned, it looked to be 16" or 17" long, but no girth. Matter of fact, it probably didn't have a girth any bigger than a bass. Has anyone seen crappie with these characteristics and would you know why they would be in this shape?

Yeah crapperals look like that.