• Small Jigs, Plastics and Split Shots for Crappie by Brad Wiegmann



    When it comes to crappie fishing few anglers use split shots. Fewer anglers even know when they were invented and by whom. However, astute anglers always have them in their tackle box and use them when fishing small jigs rigged with plastic lures.


    A split shot is a simple design and concept. Back in November 1959 inventor John F. Grayson filed for a patent for a re-usable split shot sinker. The primary object of a round re-usable split shot sinker made with soft, easy to form V-shaped groove was to make attaching and removal simple without a special tool.



    There is no standard size or material when it comes to split shots. Split shots are made from everything from tin to lead; however, lead is by far the most economical and available. As for industry standard sizing there is none.


    Every company has their own standard size when it comes to split shots. In general most companies have the following sizes and the smaller the number the heavier the weight of the split shot. (Woo’s Lures Removable Split Shot Chart):
    Size B
    Size BB .019
    Size 3/0 .031
    Size 7 .060 (1/16-ounce)
    Size 6 .066
    Size 5 .094
    Size 4 .110 (1/8-ounce)
    Size 3 .189
    Size 2 .220 (1/4-ounce)
    Size 1 .330 (3/8-ounce)


    “I love catching bass, but the one thing I probably love more is catching crappie. When I moved to Tennessee on Watts Bar, I knew there was good crappie fishing, but didn’t know where the bass lived so I started searching for them on ledges and around brush piles. What I found was schools of big crappie and by changing lures along with targeting crappie I really started catching them consistently,” said Watts Bar fishing guide John Murray.


    Murray uses his Garmin marine electronics 2D sonar (traditional sonar) and lake chart to help see where the crappie are located and if there are any crappie on the structure. “You go and search with your 2D sonar before putting your trolling motor down. After you see crappie on the structure or cover is when you start fishing. When I put the trolling motor down I’m vertical fishing for them most of the time, however, if the crappie get skittish I will move off the structure or cover and cast towards the crappie and use my Garmin LiveScope sonar to see them,” said Murray.



    For lures Murray uses a 1/16-ounce Bobby Garland Crappie Baits Mo’Glo Jigheads rigged with a 2-inch Bobby Garland Crappie Baits (www.bobbygarlandcrappie.com) Baby Shad because he wants to match the size of the shad in the lake. When fishing 15- to 30-feet deep Murray will add two of the smaller sized split shots size 3/0 or BB 12-inches up the line from the jighead to get the lure down into the strike zone. Murray compared it to fishing a minnow rig where the live bait swims freely around under the spilt shots, but with a small jighead and small soft plastic lure.


    “The beauty of crappie fishing is ninety percent of the time you’re trying to imitate the shad crappie are feeding on. So a lure color pattern like monkey milk or something white is good to catch crappie on. A lot of times I will also use something with a chartreuse pattern in off colored water, low light conditions or clouds. Plus I like to change colors to something more bright like a sherbet color pattern after catching a few just to really change it up and catch a few more crappie out of a brush pile” said Murray. When it comes to lure color patterns it’s all about what you have confidence in and changing it up according to the conditions noted Murray.

    This article was originally published in forum thread: Small Jigs, Plastics and Split Shots for Crappie by Brad Wiegmann started by Slab View original post
    Comments 4 Comments
    1. Crestliner08's Avatar
      Crestliner08 -
      Excellent presentation. Thanks!
    1. SuperDave336's Avatar
      SuperDave336 -
      Good Stuff. Thanks for sharing.
    1. "G"'s Avatar
      "G" -
      Good read
    1. Ketchn's Avatar
      Ketchn -
      i have seen a bunch of crappie caught using split shot above jigs , nice read
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