what kind of lures should i use and where should i use them
Crappie are almost exclusively minnow-eaters, so anything that resembles a small baitfish is fair game. Lures come in 6 main types. I’ll discuss each one seperately. Jigs are the most commonly used crappie lure, by far. The best ones seem to be the plain marabou jig, the Roadrunner-type jigs, and Sliders. All appear to work equally well, with a slight edge going to the marabou. They work best on colors of Charteuse, yellow, green and white. Use them under a bobber, double-rigged of retreived along drop-offs, structure, inlets and covemouths, depending on what time of year it is. This is true for all lures. Next up are the soft plastics in small sizes (1/8 oz. and smaller). The best ones I’ve ever used were Sassy Shads in grey/white and chartruese, Bassasins in green and white, Berkely Power Grubs in chartruese, small tube-jigs in various combinations of Charteuse, black, white, green and yellow, plain grubs in white, chartruese and yellow, and Beetle-Spins in chartruese. They can be fished just like jigs. Next are small spinners. These come in two styles, the In-Line, and the French-type. Inline spinners are those made by Panther-Martin and Fox. They are deadly at times, in the ultra-lite sizes. Black and Chartruese are the best colors. French Spinners are made by Mepps, and Roostertail. The Mepps Black Fury has been an all time great crappie producer, foloowed closely by the Aglia. Chartruese , white, yellow and green Roostertails with black spots are a staple that no tackle box should be without. Another good color is Fire-Tiger. Small crankbaits are good when the crappie are deep. Rapalas and Rebel Minnows in small sizes work well along deep structure. Top water poppers are good at night sometimes. A Rapala Chugger in small sizes can pull crappie up at night in late spring and summer. And lastly, fly patterns that work for crappie are the Clouser Minnow, and Crappie Candy. These are phenomenal, and work even when live minnows fail. Other patterns to try are any small streamers. Happy Fishing!
