Crappie are an incredible species loved by many people. These elusive fish are difficult to locate but fun to catch. Rivers, lakes, reservoirs ponds are the major homes for these types of fish.
If you love crappie fishing the good news is wherever you find one of these, you often find them in bunches. In this article, we are going to see several ways various ways on how to catch more crappie.
CATCH CRAPPIE USING JIGS
Jigs by far are one of the most effective lures used to catch crappie fish. Jigs are highly adaptable to any fishing condition.
Crappie are usually fun to catch fish when you do the fishing properly. Jigs are mostly sold as pre-made lures but you can still interchange the lure system to achieve your desired results.
The most important part of every jig is the weighted jig hook head. Jigs can be worked a lot more easily than a minnow. This is because the minnow will swim around erratically and often try to find any sort of cover. Once it does, you are pretty much hung and stuck!
If you need to catch more crappie, you can carefully drop the jig in the middle of the fish’s favorite hideout. When placed with precision, you can be sure to catch more crappie without going far in the lake. Once the bites are done in one section, move to the next!.
Fishing jigs are provided in different colors and styles. This variance in colors gives anglers the advantage to choose the best jig for a specific water condition. The different styles also give you a choice to use the jig that catches many crappies at a specific time.
BOBBER FISHING
One of the most old school fishing tactics for catching crappies is the use of humble bobber.
This is a fishing method that every new angler should familiarize themselves with. The good thing with bobbers is they can be used with lures and jigs as well as live baits.
Using a bobber is convenient because you can adjust the depth of your bait or lure. The strategy helps anglers to know exactly how deep they are fishing.
Bobber fishing is also great for catching fish in shallow waters.
Bobbers serve three roles in crappie fishing. First, they are used as indicators when your target has taken the bait. Secondly, bobbers are used to suspend the bait at a specific depth and thirdly they are used to carry the bait to inaccessible areas by floating on the currents due to their buoyancy.
You can, therefore, catch more crappie by incorporating bobbers in your fishing endeavor.
Bobbers come in different sizes and shapes and are made from different materials.
Each type of bobber is made to be used in different conditions such as windy or still waters, low or fast rivers or confined rivers like canals.
LIVE BAIT
Live minnows are the widely used baits for crappie. The reason for this is simple. Crappies LOVE minnows!
Minnows are available in different sizes. They even have a variety of minnows that are pink! You will find minnows at any bait shop. You can also find them at pet stores. Around where I live, a dozen goes for $3.
I love minnows for crappie fishing. Check out my crappie fishing minnow article!
Look for medium-sized minnows. I find that if you use the small minnows, all you catch are small crappie. So go with medium-sized. Don’t worry that they are too big for the crappie. Crappies have large mouths and are not afraid to attack larger baits.
Make sure you hook them through the lip or behind the dorsal fin for maximum effect. You want them to be swimming around and not just laying dead on your hook.
HIRE A GUIDE
While pursuing the waters on your own can be a great way to teach yourself crappie fishing, one way of increasing your crappie catch is by finding someone who has prowess in the field.
This is extremely helpful when you go in unfamiliar waters or you have moved to a different neighborhood. A guide knows the crappie habits in their specific lake and therefore, they know where to find them.
They also have the best tactics of catching crappie no matter the season of the year.
If hiring a guide is not expensive for you, then you highly need to consider finding one. After you have employed a guide a few times, you can use the tactics learned to go fishing on your own.
USE THE CORRECT ROD
When fishing for crappie you can use a long cane pole or a rod and reel combo:
Long Poles:
Long cane poles are extremely effective for crappie fishing. The success behind the long pole is that the further you get your bait from where you physically are (on the shore, dock or boat), the higher the chances of hooking a fish without frightening the whole school away.
Crappie poles come with lengths varying from 8 to over 20 feet.
There are also collapsible telescopic crappie poles that are easy to transport and store when they are not in use.
Telescopic rods are the best choice when fishing heavy cover. You can very precisely drop your bait in order to avoid getting snagged.
The other major advantage of using crappie poles is they have sensitive tips that aid in detecting the slightest crappie bites.
Rod & Reel Combos:
These are more common than the old school cane poles. They are extremely versatile because you can apply a lot of different techniques.
Most crappie fishermen/women will use poles as short as 4 ft to 6.6 ft poles.
The 4 ft or shorter varieties are use when fishing tight spots like barges and docks. The 6.6 ft varieties are more common. See my review of the Black Max rod & reel combo.
You can vertical jig or you can cast and retrieve, depending on the conditions, the cover and the type of fishing you are doing.
Here is an article I wrote on crappie rods!
IN CONCLUSION
Crappie fishing is extremely popular. That is because it is fun. It also does not hurt that crappie are extremely tasty!
The more you catch, the more fun you have.
I hope this article helps you to catch more crappie.
I would love to hear your comments and questions. Please leave them in the comment section below and I will get back to you as soon as I can!
Good Fishin’ To You!
Mike