Thread: cnette01's Favorite Crank Baits for Crappie

Here's some thoughts on my favorite crank baits to use trolling for crappie. These are the baits that I most often find myself putting on when trolling based on past success. I'll start with my favorite all time crappie catcher, the house brand H2O Express Crul D in chartreuse shad. It has a thin orange stripe down the middle and runs 5 to 7 feet down. I try to keep at least 4 of these in the bait box at all times.



Next is a bait that runs a little deeper and is also a proven crappie catcher, a Norman Middle N in Midnight Sun that runs about 9 to 11 feet. I also like to have 3 or 4 of these available at all times.

My third favorite bait is a Bomber in a chartreuse crawfish pattern that runs about 8 feet down, also a great crappie catcher for me. Notice any trends here on color?

Next is a Strike King Slab Hammer, also in chartreuse. It also runs about 8 feet down, and has caught many crappie for me, not to mention green and white bass and catfish as well. It has a little brother that runs a little shallower that has also produced well from time to time.

Finally here's one with a different color scheme that has worked well, another Slab Hammer in Lavender and with a pink stripe down the center of the belly. It has a little chartreuse as well!

Now we get to a more well known brand that many use to troll for crappie, a Bandit. This one is in the Mad Cow color scheme, also known as the "Mad Moo" on my boat!This one runs a little deeper but is still a proven crappie catcher.

Here's another brand, the Berkley Flicker Shad in Sick Perch. This bait has really put them in the boat on some days, and I keep several available. It runs about 7 to 9 feet down.

Finally, we come to Rapala with a JSR5 in Hot Olive, also a great crappie catcher on some days. These last 2 have a tighter wiggle.



Here's a look at the broader selection I keep in the bait box for those days when the crappie want something different. This is a good representative sample, and yes this Special Mate is pretty much full of crank baits.

I know that a lot of manufacturers make crank baits especially for crappie, but I have found that many crank baits made for other species work great for crappie. I own many pink crank baits as well, but find that I catch more catfish on them than crappie. I also keep a few other colors on hand for the crank bait brands and models that have worked the best. Some days the crappie just want a different color. I try to run crank baits at different depths and find out what depth and color the crappie want. I also use different color lines on my rod/reel combos - it helps with the inevitable tangle. I hope this helps my fellow TN crappie trollers out with what I have shared here.

They sure are pretty crank baits.