Crappie Fishing Tips – Gear

With some attention to basics, the crappie fisherman can have a complete arsenal to catch fish.  Crappie experts, Tim Huffman and John Neporadny know what there is to know about fishing for slab crappie and are willing to share that knowledge. Here is a list of crappie fishing tips all anglers should follow.

Huffman, of Poplar Bluff, MO is the author of several books on crappie fishing as well as being an editor and columnist for a number of crappie related magazines.

Neporadny, of Lake Ozark, MO is a free-lance outdoor writer on subjects such as tournament fishing, bass and crappie angling.

“The average angler is facing some great changes in fishing during the past 10 years,” says Neporadny.  “In rods you have the long poles and the short ultralights.  There are small reels, even small bait cast reels.”  He points out that one can match any kind of bait to the type of rod and reel combination desired.  John also points out that fishing lines have changed to meet the demands of the crappie anglers who compete in tournaments.

Huffman agrees and points to the changes in techniques used by anglers.  Tournament anglers have moved to trolling crankbaits in an attempt to catch scattered fish.  “The numbers might be less,” says Tim, “But the quality of fish they catch is so much better.”

So what do these angling experts recommend one put in a crappie fishing tackle box?

For a beginner the experts recommend extra light good hooks.  They are good for allowing minnows to have maximum movement and live longer.  The light hooks can get unhung when they are caught on vegetation and rocks.  Split shot, sinkers and basic crappie jigs in the 1/16th ounce head are next.

Next they recommend some two inch tube jigs in light, medium and dark shades.  Huffman maintains that fish see shades rather than actual colors.  For light colors, he recommends chartreuse or pearl.  For medium shades he likes orange/chartreuse or red/chartreuse.  The dark shades are the basics of purple, black, and dark blue/black.

Neporadny also likes colored jig heads.  But, he uses just four basic colors: chartreuse, black, orange and a bright pink for the spring spawn.

Huffman and Neporadny are strong believers in “scents.”  They particularly like the Berkely crappie nibbles but add that there are a number of scent impregnated baits available on the market.

As one wants to move to more advanced crappie fishing, the experts recommend getting into a whole variety of jig bodies.  A variety of jigs in different weights also come in handy.  “They allow you to fish different depth ranges more accurately,” explains Tim.  He further explains that curly tailed jigs are handy for those anglers wanting to troll or cast in situations where one wants to keep the bait moving.  “Tube jigs are more normally used in the vertical jigging presentation.”

Basically the advanced box is more of the same only it is a lot more fun because you get to play with colors.  It also costs more and takes up more room in the boat.

In the advanced box one could also include feather and hair jigs.  Feather jigs in the water collapse to almost nothing if they are pulled in the direction the feather is headed.  But, as soon as they are stopped they flare out giving an excellent breathing action.

Hair jigs are kind of in between a feather and a plastic.  They have a little more body to them with less movement.  They give a good visual effect that attracts fish.

“Something else for the tackle box is bobbers,” offers Neporadny.  He likes using bobbers in the spring when the fish are in the shallows.  “I just use the little clip on type,” says John.  He limits them to about 3/4 inches in diameter as they do not seem to spook fish.  “Even better,” Neporadny continues, “are the clear one that I see clear water fishermen using.”

The basic tackle box for crappie anglers can include a few items or many depending upon the sophistication of the angler.  Both of these men recommend that anglers begin with just a few of each item until they have a chance to see what is needed.