Is it better to use live bait or artificial bait when fishing for Crappie?

When fishing for Crappie, it’s always a good ideal to have live bait on hand.  While live bait is the more popular than artificial bait among Crappie fishermen, however, it’s important to understand that using live bait will only be successful when you are able to choose the type of bait that the Crappie in the area you’re fishing in are actually eating.  While minnows are the most popular Crappie bait, the best way to find out what type of live bait to use when fishing for Crappie is to take the time to make a call to the local office of the park or lake you’ll be fishing in and ask the park ranger.  Another excellent source of information are local fishermen and/or an internet site for the that particular area.  Since the preferences of the Crappie can vary from location to location, using live bait is not always your best option.  Jigs are currently one of the most popular types of artificial bait being used by Crappie fishermen.  However, the infinite combinations of color, movement, size and type of Crappie Jigs may be daunting to the beginner.  In most cases, a Crappie fishing kit is your best bet and will include a good supply of jigs in various sizes, types and colors.  One of the reasons for the popularity of jigs for Crappie fishing is that they eliminate the necessity of retying the bait each time a fish is caught.