The addition of an attractant may add more fish to your live-well by the end of the day. There are no limits to what you can use, but here are a few suggestions.
- A small minnow is usually best when you tip a jig. You get the color from the jig while getting the look, flash, smell and action of the minnow. With a small minnow you don’t increase the size of the jig too much.
- The exception to the small minnow is when fishing very dirty water or big-fish lakes. In muddy water, the big minnow puts off more vibrations so it’s easier for a crappie to find the bait. In big-fish lakes, the crappie have no problem eating a 1/8-ounce jig with a 3- inch minnow. It’s not unusual to see four to six-inch shad hanging out of their mouths.
- Cutting a minnow into pieces can be good for adding minnow scent. The broken minnow will give you maximum smell and is small in size.
- A Yankee trick you seldom see in the south is to hook the minnow in the nose, keeping the point near the skin as you bring it out the top of the head. He swims in the proper position because of the jig and lives longer.
- Waxworms are good for tipping, especially for black crappie. It also slows the fall of the jig.
- When not tipping with live bait, ‘always’ use an attractant. You’ll never catch fewer fish but might catch many more. I’m sure most of the scents you can buy will work. My top picks: Berkley Crappie Nibbles because they work and are available everywhere; Kodiak Minnow Paste because it lasts a long time. Some of the baits like Bobby Garland Scent Wigglers and YUM F2 baits have built-in attractants to save you the trouble of applying all the time.
Photo: Kodiak Minnow Paste in syringe applicator; Berkley Crappie Nibbles and Sparkle Nibbles; YUM F2 series crappie baits; Bobby Garland Scent
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