Crappie Jigs

I've been fishing for bass, bluegills, smallmouth and trout for 55-years, nothing i like better.

I want to try some crappie fishing this fall and winter.... would someone please suggest some good crappie jigs to use?

Brand name and color would be helpful as there are millions to choose from.

We won't be fishing in the same spot, so I won't be sneaking in on your favorite fishin hole either.

I've learned lots from Richard Gene.... the fishing machine.

Bobby Garland baby shad in monkey milk and blue thunder have probably caught the most for me over the years. I also like the fin-s shad baits by Lunker City in similar colors.

Depends on water color.

Where I fish, Guntersville, it's usually pretty clear. I use Bobby Garland's, primarily Monkey Milk and also some Blue Ice. When it's stained I use Pink Phantom. When it get closer to dark I put on a darker color. Cajun Cricket or Tadpole or even something black.

I use a curl tail sometimes with very good success. One that seems to work everywhere sometimes is a Southern Pro Hot Grub in the color, Wildcat. I always have one of those handy.

This past year I started using Leland Lures, Crappie Magnets. I have them in 2 colors. Monkey Milk and Black/Chartreuse. I caught a lot of fish on those. They are tougher than Bobby Garlands and last longer.

The Black/Chart works really well in muddy and stained water.

Nothing like catching one on the old cork, hook, and minnow. Seeing that cork go down is priceless and pulling back on a big old slap with a 14 or 16ft breambuster pole is nothing like rod and reel. Lot more fun. As weather cools off those fish will come up more out deep water give it a try then around docks, piers, and structure. Find some lights at night for both types of fishing. Have fun!

Black with chartreuse is what I fish 90% of the time. I like the Charlie Brewer Sliders but also use some curly tails.

vertical jig a 1/4 johnson splinter silver or gold spoon around bridges and deep structure

And here I thought that my Bobby Garland baby shad in monkey milk was a secret...

My favorite curly tails are Southern Pro, the tail seems to turn easier with a slower retrieve. BG are good as well, I also really like Leland Lure “Crappie Magnets” caught hundreds of fish of these. Now what water are you on? You looking at trolling, shooting, vertical jigging, casting, etc etc??

Monkey milk is usually the ticket most of the time but I had real good luck with the Big Bites curly tail in Orange with chartreuse tail last year.

All good suggestions.A little confidence in brand or color will go a long way.When it gets tough I like to cast a Keystone jig-minnow on 4# test...

Bobby Garland Monkey Milk,Cajun Cricket or Blue Ice.

Tell me how you are fishing the Bobby Garland. I have never been able to catch a fish using Monkey Milk or any other color.

Thanks for all the kind remarks and info, I will put it to good use.

Anyone want to go crappie fishing?

Cast it and let it fall in front of them and wait til your line jumps

The key most times is fishing it slow with an occasional twitch.

We use sliders with slider heads. Fish them just like you would a worm or a jig for bass. We rig them weedless and often tip with a minnow. That is the most fun way that we catch them.

I bought a bunch of sliders, just haven't used them yet.

80% of the time I tie 2, 1/32 oz. jig heads with #2 hooks on 4 lb. Crappie Pro Yellow line about 18-24" apart, sometimes 2 different colors, sometimes the same. Cast them out and count down until they reach just above the depth that you are showing them on the graph. Watch your line closely for any unnatural movement. Reel slowly, no, scratch that. Reel s-l-o-o-w-w-l-l-y-y. As mentioned above, a little twitch or even a hesitation will often trigger strikes when it's slow. I rig the same way to long line. I like the Slab Slayers and the Baby Shad equally well.

My colors are typically
Monkey Milk
Cajun Cricket
Hologram Ghost
Blue Ice
Electric Chicken
Chartreuse Black Pepper
And I'm not crazy about the name of it but Double Silver Rainbow has put a lot of Crappie in the boat.

Do you hook em like a Texas rigged worm to rig them weedless?

How would you fish a Bobby Garland in a pond where you aren't using a fish finder? OK on a little cork and just let it float by the structure with little jerk every now and then? Or just cast it out and SLOWLY back to you? Or just don't mess with plastics and use minnows?

Not sure I'd use minnows in a pond.

Why is that?

I have heard that they can reproduce pretty efficiently and overrun the pond. I don't know if it's true or not but I've been told by several people over the years not to use them in a pond. I just don't do it, haven't since I was a kid.

Only minnows that might take over a pond would be wild caught Shad. If you bought "Toughies" at a store they wouldn't hurt a pond in any way even if they did start raising in it. Toughies are Fat Head Minnows and they don't get very large. Shiners get so big that they get un-eatable.

If you guys don't know this technique for crappie it's worth trying, especially pre and during the spawn. A 1/16 ounce jig head with a BG Baby Shad on it with the next to smallest sized "peg" styrofoam float that Wally World sells. Gotta use a 1/16 ounce head. That pulls the float about 2/3 of the way under. I'd say 1/2 of crappie hits are from below, coming up. When you see that float raise up in the water, set the hook. I use to wait for a float to go under. Now if I see it move, in any way, I set the hook.

The float I'm talking about is usually the smallest one Wally World has, but last spring I did find some that were smaller. The smallest ones slowly sink out of sight. If you get the next size bigger than the correct ones, this method doesn't work. They are orange and white.

It's 26 acres and we put a truck load of shad in it earlier this spring. I don't think a few buckets of minnows are going to overrun it. I don't really even know if there are crappie in it or not, was just trying to figure out the best method to fish it to find out.

Yes Fur exactly like that!

Thanks. I'm gonna try that.

I’m going to try this.