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Advice for setup
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You should be able to get some decent starter rods at Wally World for less than $30 ... like a Berkley Cherrywood. One of my fishing partners uses them, and has for MANY years, and he does well with them. A 6' or 6'6" length is a good length choice, as they will cast a good distance & their length will help take up slack during the hookset.
Stren, Trilene, & Vicious Panfish lines are all good lines ... and I'd suggest 4-6lb test for that size reel.
As far as jigs go ... the sky's the limit !! There are so many different types, styles, and shapes (and everyone has their fav's) that it's gonna depend on whom you ask ... as far as which ones are a "have to have" model. I favor 1/16oz jigheads overall, and while they can be purchased at stores usually with a #4 hook, I get mine custom made with a #2 hook ... so I can use various sizes of plastic bodies on them & still have a good gap between the hook point and top of the plastic body. And I also have them custom made with a weedguard, since I cast/vertical jig right down in the wood cover. Hair/marabou/feather (tied) jigs are also productive, and you can get the commercially made ones for a decent price.
As far as "how" you fish them (from the bank): casting is your primary option. They can be cast out and slowly reeled back in (just the jig) or they can be used with various styles of floats if you want to maintain a specific depth or a dead slow retrieve. Casting out and slowly reeling back, commonly known as "swimming" a jig, is generally done in conjunction with the "countdown system". That's simply casting out, on the first cast, and reeling back in starting at splashdown. Subsequent casts can be made to the same place as cast #1, but after splashdown you count "one Missouri" and then start reeling ... adding another second on each following cast. This enables you to cover a strip of water at various depths, as the jig will fall through the water at about 1ft per second (more or less). Following that series of casts through that strip of water, move your target a couple of feet to one side and repeat ... until you've covered the area of water in front of you. Generally you just reel in at a slow/steady pace, with no added action to the jig ... but, a slight "shake/jerk" of the rod every now and then, along the way, can make a difference. Not always, but it's always worth a try, on occasion.
Colors .... whole other "can of worms"... but, solid white, solid pink, & solid chartreuse are good starting points (esp. with tied jigs) and black, blues, greens, pinks, & purples with a chartreuse tail or belly color (for contrast) is a good starting point for plastic bodies. The shapes of those plastic bodies is a whole other deal ... but, the stinger shad, slider grub (boot tail), and tubes seem to garner the most attention (at least for me they do !!). There's also curly tails and the "carrot" shaped plastics to consider. And size wise ... I'd stick with the 1.5" & 2" sizes (depending on brand & style of bait chosen).
Now, that's only scratching the surface ... and mostly what I am most familiar with ... so expect differing opinions from other members that may chime in with their opinions. But, basically what you want to do is imitate a small fish (minnow/shad/fry/fingerling) with your jig, and make it appear to be an easy meal.
When casting & swimming a jig ... a Crappie bite will usually come in one of 4 different line reactions. It may be a single "jump" of the line, a sideways movement of the line (rather than a straight return route), a heavy feeling (like you're dragging a leaf or small limb), or the line suddenly goes slack (and you know the jig cannot have hit bottom). In any of these instances, set the hook (being mindful that you have to take up any/all slack line when doing so).
Welcome to c.c ..... you will find all the answers you looking for here . U can spend a fortune in a hurry but you don't have to . I have tons of equipment. !poles jig heads/ jigs / plastics etc but I have 5 or so go to colors that usually always work have seen a few times that they want something different. Black /chartreuse ,red/ chartreuse in tube jig. Etc. monkey milk ,blue ice ,shimmer shad etc in Bobby Garland . #2 hook 1/16oz jig head my favorite.
Originally Posted by Jakesdad
