Is it better to use minnows jigs at the first of the season. If jigs what colors and does color of head really make a difference.

In the early season I definitely recommend live bait fishing for Crappies. Minnows are of course the live bait that works best. You can also use crickets, grasshoppers or other insects but nothing beats a small minnow. The bait stores do not call them “crappie minnows” for no reason. Why not however expand the horizons and use the minnows in conjunction with a jig head. Keep your jig heads small and hook the minnow once through the lips. You vary your presentation to see what works best on a given day. Crappie at this time of year can change day to day and even hour to hour. A fast retrieve make work early in the morning and a slow retrieve later on. It takes experimentation and patience when fishing early season Crappie. The rewards for success are great when you find the correct pattern. As for color I have found three distinct colors that work best. White would be my third choice of color, it is best used in stained or murky water. My second choice would be chartreuse. Chartreuse work best for me early in the morning through mid day. Hand down however the best jig color for fishing Crappie is florescent pink. I cannot explain why but forty years of fishing have taught me some things that cannot always be explained. The best scenario for catching Crappie is to fish the time period between two hours before to one hour after sunset using a pink jig tipped with a Crappie Minnow.