Tackle?

[bigtattoo79]

Color is overrated IMO. I could have stayed with white all day yesterday and still caught over 60 fish. Most important was tail action and jig weight/hook size. Straight-tail soft plastics ruled! Do a google search for crappie soft plastics and many come up. Key is lure action on the slowest retrieve - especially in water less than 5'.

Also important is finding fish to begin with that will strike your lure or live bait. Casting to many areas - especially from a boat - ups the chances. I found schools of fish yesterday and the day before that increased the number to over 100 fish caught for two days. Few were large enough to keep, but the drug is the tug in my book and fun to anticipate what is hooked. My last fish taken on a small lure was a 2 lb bass that really put a bend on my light action rod.

personal recs:

My jig weights (oz): 1/16, 1/24, 1/32, 1/64
jig hook size matched to soft plastic size: #8, #6, #4

light action 5'6" or 6' rod for ease of casting light lures

8lb test braid for best strike detection and better hook sets as well as allowing good lure action. Braid has no memory (coils), no stretch.

Spinning reels allow the best distance casting of light lures.

The nice thing about the above are the number of fish species that attack small lures. Crappie, yellow and white perch, bass, sunfish and even catfish will strike small lures.

The above is only one anglers opinion based on years of catching fish in many different waters. There is no hard & fast rules when it comes to tackle or finding and catching fish using the ultimate fish-finder: your lure. Cast cast cast to many areas is the best way to do that.

Good luck to the both of you. These included in the 60 fish caught yesterday bit small soft plastics:
Attachment 470972Attachment 470973Attachment 470974Attachment 470975

Thank you for posting. My son and I will definitely try the above. We found a spot with tons of fish (no keepers) there but always action. Lately we hit different areas looking for better fish then end up back at the “little fish honey hole” to finish our trip. These small fish are a blessing tho because they keep him excited, the nonstop bite really helps him learn a lot more about fishing.

[Spoonminnow]

These small fish are a blessing tho because they keep him excited, the nonstop bite really helps him learn a lot more about fishing.

You said a mouthful with that statement!

they keep him excited
Any time I get a strike no matter how light, I get excited. Who knows, it may be a lunker of any species! The drug is the tug!

helps him learn a lot more about fishing
The main reason I fish is learning by discovery and being blown away by what fish strike and where they are when they strike.
example: the majority of fish caught were in 1' - 2' of water because the lake is being lowered for dock repairs.
The fish can't be under no longer floating pads and were scattered on shallow flats and on humps. (The bass was in 3.5' of water BTW)

example: I just found out yesterday that little nippers (small fish) will nip at the tails of small soft plastics.
Solution: cut of the bellies of fatter grubs or
shorted the body length my cutting a bit off the front of the body or
shorten the tail of a spike tail just a bit. (Spike tails/ stub tails and thin flat tails on light jigs are my best producers bar none.)

Note: Never use a steady retrieve casting spike tails; always raise and lower the rod tip just a bit on the retrieve, allowing pauses to impart a lure's direction change that excites fish.

[bigtattoo79]

You said a mouthful with that statement!

they keep him excited
Any time I get a strike no matter how light, I get excited. Who knows, it may be a lunker of any species! The drug is the tug!

helps him learn a lot more about fishing
The main reason I fish is learning by discovery and being blown away by what fish strike and where they are when they strike.
example: the majority of fish caught were in 1' - 2' of water because the lake is being lowered for dock repairs.
The fish can't be under no longer floating pads and were scattered on shallow flats and on humps. (The bass was in 3.5' of water BTW)

example: I just found out yesterday that little nippers (small fish) will nip at the tails of small soft plastics.
Solution: cut of the bellies of fatter grubs or
shorted the body length my cutting a bit off the front of the body or
shorten the tail of a spike tail just a bit. (Spike tails/ stub tails and thin flat tails on light jigs are my best producers bar none.)

Note: Never use a steady retrieve casting spike tails; always raise and lower the rod tip just a bit on the retrieve, allowing pauses to impart a lure's direction change that excites fish.

I’ll sit on that bank and fish them baby fish for the rest of my life if it brings a smile to his face. He definitely gets excited for ever nibble he gets, thinking about catching another lil fish. I watch him every time he gets a nibble with a smile on my face 1) because he’s so excited and 2) sooner or later something unexpected is gonna grab that line and I don’t wanna miss it!

Thanks

[hdhntr]

I am a bank/dock fisherdude for most part and simply pitching a small jig out and let it pendulum back to you is easy and productive. Then dropping it straight to bottom and bringing up slowly does as well, depends on their mood and conditions. Use that smaller beetlespin with different colors as you neverknow what will hit those including most species.

I am a jig guy but try minnows and a bobber as well as the live bait would probably really excite him and you dont have to do anything to get bit. also use bobber at different depths with jig and bring them in at slow speed and fish will hook themselves as well. and ketchn dinks is still ketchn and FUN. have spent many days ketchn fish after fish, crappie and green sunfish having a ball and not one that would keep and could care less.

remember best advice is always GO Fishing it's good for you said that great philosopher Richard Gene the fishing machine. BTW look at his video's on youtube and he will show you how to getrdone.

[bigtattoo79]

if you are after sunfish , you should drop them number 4 gold hooks down to a number 8
and for a float , them comal pinch on ones I use are by far the best for short water action
thill makes better ones ,but they cost too much ....

So the local store I stopped at was out of the size #8 but I was able to get some #6 hooks to replace the #4 hooks and our hookup ratio increased a lot.

He landed 16 fish in about 2 hrs give or take the size in the picture below, he had a blast!

[SuperDave336]

Awesome!

[bigtattoo79]

Road Runners are awesome for sure…

I picked up a pack to try out. At the end of our trip I decided to give them a try, after a couple cast and feeling small fish tugging the tail right at the bank I decided to call it a day. My son said to wait a few more minutes because he had one worm left and wanted to use it, So I decided to cast the roadrunner a couple more times and on the next cast I got a little tangle on my line so I cleared that started reeling and what do you know fish on, when I grabbed the fish and my son realized it was much bigger than normal for that spot he was pumped. I started thinking and the first thing I told him was the fish are deeper then we’ve been fishing, I casted again and waited for the little roadrunner to sink before reeling and bam a little bass (still much bigger than what he’s been seeing in that spot) he was pumped and so excited! However we were running late for something and had to leave, next weekend we are gonna fish that spot deeper and he wants his own roadrunner lol.

[SuperDave336]

Nice. Hopefully still there next weekend and willing to play.

[bigtattoo79]

Nice. Hopefully still there next weekend and willing to play.

They better swim while they can because my boy is on a mission to get them lol!

[Ketchn]

So the local store I stopped at was out of the size #8 but I was able to get some #6 hooks to replace the #4 hooks and our hookup ratio increased a lot.

He landed 16 fish in about 2 hrs give or take the size in the picture below, he had a blast!

very good sir , hookup rates will incline on bream if you go a bit smaller than a 6 , even the big bream are great at stealing worms off hooks ,
and a number 8 hard wire hook will land a monster fish too , you ever know when one will come along , just a quick fyi .....