I love targeting crappie! When crappie are biting it’s not uncommon to sit there and catch one on almost every cast. Plus, they are my go to fish when I want something for the table. I know, walleye are on top of most people’s list, but there aren’t good walleye fisheries near me and there are length limits on them that there aren’t on crappie (at least in my state). So, of course I want to know how to catch more crappie.
A couple years ago I stumbled upon a lure and method of fishing crappie that has greatly increased my productivity catching these tasty fish.
I spent my early years crappie fishing by casting slip-bobbers with live minnows or vertical jigging tube skirts or some combination thereof. On other occasions, a twister-tail produced the best results. But now I almost always resort to my favorite plastic body – action tail minnow.
One reason for this was that many of my local waters prohibit using live bait-fish. Live minnows are very effective for crappie, but I needed an alternative.
How I catch more crappie with a soft plastic minnow.
My standard crappie rig.
I use a plastic minnow body with a straight tail with a total length of about 1.5 – 2 inches. I do NOT use bodies with a “swim” tail. The Cabela’s action tail minnow is my go to, but any brand that makes this style will do.
I use a relatively small jig head – 1/16 or 1/32 ounce. If I am fishing a little deeper or trolling, I might switch to 1/8 ounce, but 98% of the time I fish 1/16 ounce.
I buy jig heads with eyes on them. I can’t say that’s what makes the difference, but I have tried unpainted heads before and seemed to catch fewer fish.
Occasionally I’ll rig two jigs, opting for lighter jig heads in those situations, but normally I use a single rig.
Casting for crappie.
This has been the biggest breakthrough for me. Casting my jig and using a very slow retrieve has proven to be very effective…so slow it usually hits the bottom. If it does, raise it up just a bit while you reel letting it tease the bottom a bit. Occasionally stop and drop, or pop and drop. Crappie, unlike bluegill, usually have a soft bite and you will only know they are there when you raise up or you see your line moving sideways.
Casting is a great method for catching crappie that are holding to structure other than brush piles…drop-offs, shoals, channels, stumps, and rocky bottom areas.
On a trip to the lake last year, we sat and fished one spot for almost an hour. The three of us each caught 15-20 fish out of that one spot by casting. Three guys in kayaks were fishing the same spot from the opposite side using jigs on slip bobbers. They only caught a few. They were a bit frustrated they weren’t having the same luck as us. We even told them to take the bobbers off and cast their jigs…but they didn’t.
There have been many times when casting a jig into an unfamiliar area produced results…even in places I didn’t think there would be fish.
Give it a try yourself, you will be surprised!
Slow trolling for crappie.
Anytime we are moving from one spot to another, or just aren’t having luck, we slow troll our jigs. Cast them out 30 + feet (depending on the depth) and slowly troll on the slowest or second slowest setting on your trolling motor. If you feel the bottom, bring them up a bit. If you don’t have electronics on your boat, this is a good way to find crappie.
One weekend three of us were in the boat not having much luck, so we trolled over to another spot. In the process, we all three hooked fish within about 30 seconds. Needless to say we stopped and worked that spot, catching 15-20 crappie before we moved on.
Vertical jigging for crappie.
I vertical jig around stick-ups and close to brush piles. This should be an obvious thing. If you cast into these structures, you’ll spend most of your time hung up. Just take it easy and work the structure thoroughly at various depths.
Jigging isn’t just an up then down thing. Short up then down jigging often works, but the tail on these bodies will wiggle with the slightest motion. Try several types of jigging at different depths if you aren’t successful at first…up then down, down then up, or just gently twitch the pole.
Give it a try.
If you love crappie fishing, be sure to pick a few of these soft plastic minnows and give them a shot. But don’t just stick to your usual presentations, give casting and trolling a try.
