Crappie fishing is highly famous and most loved by fishermen! It is because of their abundance in all types of waters in every season and the hope of having a great catch at the end of the day. Right knowledge about crappie will do you great help every time you fish for it. Crappies go to school, so that’s why it is not that hard for you to fish. And usually go for school baitfish too! Crappies like live baits or prey. They have this predator instinct that anglers are fascinated by most and help them out where they can be fish productively.
How to Fish for Crappie with Minnows
Minnows are considered as the primary, if not the best live baits for crappies. You can easily purchase minnows on bait shops. But you can catch live minnows for baits also on rivers, lakes, or in places where you’re going to fish in every season of every year. You can easily catch them through cast nets or minnow traps too! Live baits are the best use on a thin hook. However, it’s your primary choice on what type of fishing technique you should be using with it, especially on live ones.
You can try a simple reel-bait technique. Since crappie love lives minnows, there are many available minnow mimic lures in the market for crappie fishing. Even most anglers effectively use live baits, and some do use artificial minnow lures for a practical reason or if they don’t feel like going to bait shops to buy. On the other hand, sometimes you can use live baits together with jigs in fishing. With this, it will help you to catch more. Or even a dead minnow bait and a live one to lure crappies to bite.
It is also best to use regular bobbers or slip bobbers to let the minnow baits suspend just above the crappies to eat.
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However, if live minnows are not on hand, you can consider artificial minnows that are soft, like rubber or gel. Some fishermen say that they can effectively fish productively using it. But some say live minnows still won the race and are considered the “King of all baits,” according to some fishermen.
Another way of crappie fishing is by using slender wire hooks directly attached to the fishing line through minnows, even without using a float or bobbers. Some fishermen or anglers use a rig with two hooks on it for more fish. It is sometimes hard to use live minnows in crappie fishing because they are sometimes hard to find, and keeping them alive along the way when fishing is why they tend to use artificial baits instead, no matter what happens.
Moreover, minnows are considered as “the king of crappie fishing.” So why then go for something else.
How to Fish for Crappie from Bank
Crappie fishing on the bank is considered the most productive and enjoyable way to fish for crappies. It is simple yet the most commonly done by anglers since it doesn’t require expensive equipment. Still, instead, you can go with a reel-bait technique that is so simple and traditional too for as long as you know how to hit where and when to fish, or you don’t need a boat to enjoy it with, of course, of a large catch.
For best crappie fishing, you can use simple techniques such as dipping the cover, casting, and using float.
One way of catching crappies on the bank is dipping, which is best done during spring and fall. It is usual for crappies to move out to shallow waters to feed themselves at this time of the year, so it is more exciting to do bank fishing. They try to lay eggs or spawn during spring, so usually, they are prone to go on the covers of the bank to feed. They typically spawn in as little as 1 ft. near the surface, making it is easy for fishermen to fish.
Crappie fishing on banks is much productive since crappies go undercover schools, so expect a great catch. The best way to dip is by using a simple rod and bait wherein you must start dipping on slopes of the bank, slowly moving it down to a much deeper part of the water. Remember to do it quietly to avoid scaring them away. You need to watch those covered parts like lily pads, submerged debris of fallen trees, or as such closely, because surely you’ll going to win.
You can also choose the cast and retrieve technique for bank fishing using a jig and cut baits or live minnows. It is usually done on small waters with crappies on them. In here, you don’t need expensive equipment to gain success or even need a boat when doing it because it is just a matter of knowing how to hit, where, and when to fish. It’s so simple as 1, 2, and 3.
Medium pace reeling usually strikes hungry crappie. But during summer, you should try a faster medium pace and a little larger baits. Because during this time of the year, there is a tendency of fishing for greater crappies or larger ones.
One thing also to consider in doing it is the use of floats. In crappie fishing, you could effectively fish crappies with the help of a float, wherein it is much easy for crappies to see it because floats make the baits easy to lay just above the cover for a good crappie catch. It is also best suggested to make use of live minnows as baits for bank fishing. You have to hook from their lips and let it go steadily under a float when casting, and also, it is sometimes best done too by using jig heads with curly tails on them.
Some fishermen do tricks with crappies. They sometimes tend to let crappie run over with their baits either by putting the bait below them or making it move fast; this technique is best used during spring, winter, and fall.
It is better to fish shallow than too deep. So that’s why it is adequate to use floats here. This technique would drive you home, not empty-handed.
How to Fish for Crappie in the Summer
During summer, it is better to fish on the deeper side of the waters. It is because crappies usually hide from the heat of the sun. They always tend to stay on rocks, holes, submerged structures at the bottom of the waters and make it their cover.
Here, the deep fishing technique is done best. Crappies usually leave shallow places and migrate themselves on the deeper side of the waters, making the dipping technique efficient.
It is also good to fish on covers such as the rocky portion of the waters wherein they stay there and wait for their prey to come during this time of the year.
During summer, you can now use improvised artificial embodied structures for crappie bottom fishing to use it as their home for greater and easy fishing. Here, you can save up time and effort to fish. Also, it is the best strategy to use to save up or lessen the loss of hooks, baits, and fish too!
It is not throughout summer that they stay on the deeper side of the water. They sometimes go on shallows too! It is for them to feed themselves, but they have this tendency to move in schools or flock under covers. So better look for covers to be sure of getting one.
In summer fishing for crappies, it is best to use the #6 hook and use an artificial snare with attractive colors to lure more crappies.
Even though crappies are easy to find in deeper areas during summer fishing, they’re hard to fish that some anglers are fascinated with and challenge somehow. Sometimes they usually make an artificial crib for a change to not tend to look further enough on waters.
You can still make use of simple traditional poles and minnows as baits for as long as you know that you’re in the right place to fish on every season. Remember that the harder the place to find and the more covered it is, the more crappie to feel.
How to Fish Crappie in the Spring
Springtime is spawning time for crappies! It is best to consider it when fishing. At this time of the year, crappies tend to go on shallow parts of the water for them to spawn. They could go as shallow as only as 1ft. away from the shore. So it makes it easy for you to fish. Crappies usually go to schools and also on schools of prey too! They are much furious to handle at this time because they typically tend to protect their spawn and their home.
Here, it would be best if you remembered to be keen enough on what to use as baits. Try to see that you always make it to the point that it is at a proper depth. The nearer to crappies it is, the better. It is because, during summer, they don’t have the time to chase over with your bait.
During this time, fishing for crappies is exciting, and they tend to stack up. So if you hook into one on a specific area, it better stay there for you to continually fish for another one.
As spring progress and the temperature gets warm, crappies tend to move on to shallow water areas to feed most of the time. Fishing becomes easier and not that a challenge for anglers.
During late summer, crappies usually become more aggressive and become more attracted to moving jigs. At this time, you can lure them with moving jigs and baits.
Better pay attention too on watercolor. Crappies usually move up on shallow parts when waters are stained or not clear enough for them to hide. Not only that, but it is also because scientifically, stained waters are much cooler than clear ones.
One crazy thing about crappies is that they have this paper-thin mouth that makes it hard to fish sometimes, so it is better to consider it much. Pay attention to the hooks you are using and, of course, how to reel them. Make sure to do it carefully and in a proper way but not with force. It is to avoid losing the hook away or to lost fish.
On crappie fishing here, crappies tend to go to schools with their exact size. So if you have the chance to fish large crappie in a particular area, better stay there and fish for more because there are great chances that you can catch more than you wish for. But on the other hand, if you indeed found a school of smaller crappies, move on to other areas to fish because there is an excellent chance thereof not finding a big bunch of crappies together with the smaller ones.
Pay attention to the pattern you are using or with your technique and the baits you are using. You can’t fool them. Try something that can lure their hunger.
Sometimes you can discover one school of crappies, but you wonder why they ignore your bait? It is simply because it is not always that they are that hungry enough to feed, so it better changes the location. It is still worthwhile to go on deeper waters where they hide if you want to fish for bigger hungry crappies.
So guys, if you want to start crappie fishing now, always remember that the harder you fish, the more rewarding it becomes. Happy crappie fishing, everyone!
