Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets

To Improve as a crappie fisherman it is very important that you learn to fish with artificial crappie baits. When you are first starting out fishing for crappie many beginners start fishing with live bait for crappie and this is, and I recommend it the best way to start your involvement in the sport of crappie fishing. However if you want to take your fishing for crappie efforts to the next level you need to learn the art of fishing with artificial baits. The intention of my article is to provide you with some basic crappie jig information that you can use a starting point to train yourself on the art of catching crappie with artificial crappie jigs.

#1 How is a jig used for crappie constructed? A jig is made up of three parts which include the following:

1a. – The hook (The hook size will depend on the size of the head, the smaller the head the smaller the hook, or the larger the head the larger the hook)

1b. – The head ( is made usually from a molded led or other metallic material and ranges in size from 1/64oz up to 1/4oz and may or may not include a spinner blade. I prefer the 1/32oz size.)

1c. – The body (is the plastic material that is slid over the hook shank up to the head and has dozens of different colors, and body styles.)

#2 What are the different types of Jigs Used For Crappie Fishing?

2.a Bait fish or insect Imitation jigs:

The marabou jig for crappies range in size from 1/32 oz up to 1/4oz and is made of a lead head with or with out a spinner blade. The hook is enclosed in a hair like or feather looking material on the shank up to the head. These jigs are the most commonly used to imitate either insects or bait fish.

2.a-1 Another common bug or minnow imitation is a jig head molded to hook with a plastic called a “tube”. The tubes come in several different colors and have multiple tentacles that dart through the water to look like a wounded bait fish. The complete jig ranges in size from 1/64 oz to up to 1/4 oz depending on the head size.

2.b Minnow or shad imitation jig:

These jigs are made up of a plastic material that slides up the shank of the hook up to the head and looks like common bait fish that crappie eat. They are manufactured in a variety of sizes from 1/32oz to 1/4oz, with 1/16oz being the most common size used.

2.c Grub or Maggot imitation jig:

This crappie fishing jig is designed to imitate a insect grub, or maggot. Their construction is of a variety of different color plastic molded together with different color real or artificial hair, or feathers. The molded combination is slid up the hook shank touching the head. These jigs come in a Varity of sizes the most common to be in the smaller sizes of 1/64 to 1/32oz.

#3 The best way to tie your crappie fishing jig.

A excellent knot to use when tying your crappie fishing jigs is called the trilene knot. To tie the trilene knot follow the following simple steps:

3.a Run approximately 6 inches of line through the eyelet in the crappie jig’s hook. Loop it around and pass it through the eyelet again. Pull on the line until you reach a small ¼ inch to ½ inch diameter.

3.b Wrap the end of the line around the standing line 6 times.

3.c Pass the end of the line back through the loop, and then pull the line snug tight by pulling the standing line, and the hook in opposite directions.

3.d Trim the left over tag about ¼ inch from the hook.

I hope the information I have provided about crappie jigs. will help you on your next fishing trip! God bless and a good day to you.

Mark is a dedicated fisherman who has published 100’s of fishing articles. Check out his website to get some amazing fishing information and fishing articles loaded with fishing tips about crappie live bait that really work! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” At: http://www.oldfishinghole.com Get Your Free Fishing Tips About artificial bait used for crappie Here!

Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets

If you are a person who is always striving to be better, then pay close attention to the key crappie catching tips I have for you. If you want to avoid simple mistakes that cost you time and missed crappie hits on every fishing trip then these tips are for you. If you develop your own set of fishing rules when you target the crappie species you can improve your crappie catching ratio. Like any sport, a set of rules need to be practiced. For example if you are baseball player and you want to improve your batting ave. you first need to establish a set of batting rules and then practice them. The old saying practice makes perfect always holds true in any sport including fishing. In the following article I would like to introduce you to a few simple rules and guidelines that you can add to your personal crappie fishing routine and will help you catch more crappie.

#1 rule If you have ever excelled at anything you know that you have to take a “never give up attitude” to succeed. Fishing is no different. There will good and bad days just like any other new thing you try. The key is to learn from your mistakes and put them to good use. Mistakes are not always a bad thing because they teach you “what not to do”. Just remember that to become a better crappie angler and catch more crappies takes time and practice. But if you document all your failures and successes you will soon develop some good rules and guidelines.

#2 rule You need to log every detail of your crappie fishing trip. For example if I was fishing with a 1/32 once red head jig with a green curly tail this should be noted. If I was dropping my bait to the bottom and slowly jigging and reeling upward you should log how many cranks of your reel and at what depth you started getting hits. Also date, time and location are important. GPS locations are the best for locations.

#3 rule You must learn to fish crappie live baits. Even the professionals will use live bait in combination with their crappie artificial baits. For example if the crappies are not hitting your jigs, tipping your jigs with crappie minnows may make the difference between catching crappie or not. Do some research and find out what live baits work best in your area. To be successful with live bait you need to find out what the local crappie population is eating, and imitate it.

Well folks that concludes my article today about some great crappie fishing tips! Stay tuned and visit my site because I will be releasing some more great fishing tips about crappie in the near future!

Mark is a dedicated fisherman who has published 100’s of fishing articles. Check out his website to get some amazing fishing information and fishing articles loaded with fishing tips about crappie catching tips that really work! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” At: http://www.oldfishinghole.com Get Your Free Fishing Tips About crappie fishing routine Here!

Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets

Welcome to the wonderful world of crappie fishing! You would not  be reading this article if you were not interested in becoming a better crappie fisherman. Well just like in any other sport patience and practice are very important to be successful. It is very important for you to establish a good set of guidelines and rules to practice by every time you go fishing. Repetition is a virtue in the sport of crappie fishing. Today I would like to introduce you to 3 key crappie catching guidelines that will improve your crappie fishing and help you increase your crappie catch.

#1 Guideline It is very important to develop a fishing pattern quickly after you get on the water. You cannot be satisfied with just catching crappie. You need to identify in detail what made the crappie strike. You then need to duplicate these same techniques when you change locations because chance are the crappie will hit the same at any of the locations you go too. You need to document and take a mental note of all the details. You need to identify such things as: Was the fish hitting when my crappie baits floated downward? What kind of structure were fishing? Were the crappie hits on the windward side of the structure? You get the picture, details are very important to formulate a pattern to fish for the day.

#2 Guideline It is very important to be very quiet when you are targeting any species of fish and that includes the sport of crappie fishing. I can guarantee that any slab crappie will scatter if you make any noises such as moving around in the boat, dropping things to the bottom of the boat talking loudly ext. These fish are older and they are savvy. They will move if they sense anything that is unnatural to their habitat. Sound carries in water just as it does in the air. This is one of the easiest crappie fishing rules to adhere too. But you would be surprised how many rookie fisherman overlook this simple tip.

#3 Guideline How many times have you been out crappie fishing and you get hungry and reach down and pull out a handful of chips or eat a sandwich, then you go right back to handling your crappie baits? Well crappie can smell the things that you just ate and the different smell may be just enough to cause them not to bite or move off. Next time you eat out on the water wipe your hands clean then rub them with some commercial crappie scent. You will be surprised how much this tip may increase your crappie catch.

Make sure you visit my site on a regular basis because I will be posting and writing some more great crappie fishing tips in the near future!

Mark is a dedicated fisherman who has published 100’s of fishing articles. Check out his website to get some amazing fishing information and fishing articles loaded with fishing tips about crappie catching that really work! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” At: http://www.oldfishinghole.com Get Your Free Fishing Tips About crappie catch Here!

Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets

One of the most difficult and sometimes frustrating things that a new or experienced crappie angles find when trying to identify what are good tips to catch crappie is the “what” “when” “where” and “how” When selecting the best bait for crappie fishing. We as fisherman know on any given day we can come up empty handed. If we don’t catch any crappie we will start asking ourselves what did I do wrong today? What tackle for crappie fishing should I of used? Of course as you become a more experienced fisherman there are some intangibles when fishing that are simply out of our control and should be noted as such. The Trick good old Mother Nature plays on us from time to time is a prime example. The key to becoming a more consistent crappie fisherman is learning tips to catch crappie that are manageable. In the following paragraphs I am going to identify some very simple guidelines that I think you can use to determine how to catch crappie at your local fishing hole.

Guideline #1 Visit your local State Department of Natural Resources and your local bait shops to get some valuable fishing information about the crappie population in your area. You need to find out what type of crappie fishing rigs are being used to catch fish. You need to find out the average size of the fish being caught and if any larger crappies are being caught. You need to find out what types of crappie jigs are best, what size and what color. The color doesn’t mater as much as matching the size and the to the forage fish that crappies are eating, such as crappie minnows. You Can verify very quickly what the fish are eating after you catch a few and check the contents of their stomachs. Based on what you find you can adjust your crappie rigging and crappie baits accordingly.

Guideline #2 The best time to catch crappie in your local area is the spring season. This is a ideal time to get into the sport of crappie fishing if you are a new fisherman. The crappie fish are very active and getting ready for the annual spring spawn, and they will be feeding constantly. Also after the spring spawn they will be feeding through out the remainder of the spring and throughout the summer on the newly hatched forage crappie minnow fry and the adults. The fish will be plentiful around boat docks and submerged logs and trees. During the spawn you will need to fish directly on top of the nest. You will get many crappie strikes if you do this because the crappies are extremely protective when they are on the nest. You can use a variety of different crappie rigging to catch these silvery specks. At this time of year crappie minnow rigs work great because the fish are feeding heavily. If you are a beginner I would recommend using live bait. If you are an experienced fisherman you can use a variety of crappie fishing rigs this time of year. As a rule of the thumb, use larger jig sizes of 1/4oz. to target larger fish. Use 1/64oz to 1/16oz to target smaller fish. Again color is not as important as matching the size and the look to what the crappie are actually eating. To verify that your selection is correct open up a few fish after you catch them and see what is in the fishes stomachs.

Guideline #3 In the summer months your choice of crappie fishing rigging and crappie bait can vary on the size of fish you want to target. As the water temperature warms to 70 degrees Fahrenheit the forage fish such as crappie fishing minnows begin to spawn. And will continue to spawn throughout late spring and well into summer or until the water temperature approaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The smaller crappie will feed off the fry while the larger crappie will feed off of the adults. The size of your crappie baits will mater in the summer. For example if you want to catch crappie in the 1lb range you will need to use larger crappie live bait and larger crappie jig sizes. If the fish are feeding on threadfin shad you will need to match the size and look of these forage fish if you want to be successful. A good way to create your imitation is to catch a few shad and use them to make your crappie baits.

Guideline #4 Special fishing situations will need special crappie rigging preparation. There are only two common situations that I will talk about here. The first is how to catch crappie if the water is very muddy or stained. There are some very easy tips to catch crappie you can use here. Crappies have very good eye site and outstanding hearing. If you come across situations where the water is stained and muddy, then you need to dress up your crappie baits to hone in on the crappies good hearing because there line of sight will very limited. Attach some shiny rotating blades to your line just about the hooks. Then attach a line rattle. A crappie will zone in on the noise of the rattle and then it gets close the crappie will see and go after the rotating blade thinking it is a wounded crappie fishing minnow. If the water is extremely clear you will need to use a very small diameter line, fire line is good for this application. You will need to sharpen up your crappie bait imitation skills. You will need to use crappie rigging, and crappie baits in the 1/64oz to 1/32oz sizes.

Mark Fleagle is an Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. and has over 30 years of fishing experience who has written 100’s of useful fishing articles. Would you like to max out your catch on your next fishing trip? Blow your fishing buddies out of the water and get your bragging rights today! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” http://www.oldfishinghole.com

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Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets

How To Use Crappie Live Bait

Rigging Crappie Live Minnows

It is very important to offer your crappie live bait presentation in just the right way so as to make the crappie get excited about hitting minnow bait presentation. Another Important element is how you hook your crappie minnow. The Minnow needs to be hooked so it swims freely while attached to the hook. Remember, you are trying to imitate a wounded minnow so a crappie will think it is an easy meal. I want to address an excellent method of making a crappie minnow rig that is very successful. And don’t forget to read the last paragraph because I don’t want you to miss out on a rarely used crappie minnow jigging technique.

Making A Three Way Swivel Dual Crappie Minnow Rig

You can purchase these rigs commercially but if you want to save a few bucks here’s a step by step procedure to make your own.

Step#1 Get yourself some fire line line 8-20lb test. (note: a 20lb test of fire line has the dia. Of 6lb mono-filament line.)

Step#2 Get yourself some 3 way swivels. The three way swivel allows the crappie minnow to swim freely in a 360deg motion.

Step#3 Get some 1/4oz egg or as they are commonly called “bass sinkers”.

Step#4 Cut 2 pieces of fire line approximately 10” long, tie a crappie hook on one end of each line.

Step#5 Repeat Step 4, but cut 2 pieces 12” long.

Step#6 Release enough line from your reel so you have plenty of room to do your crappie live bait tackle tying. Tie your first three way swivel to the line.

Step#7 Tie one of crappie hook leaders you made in step 4 to the open eye on the 3 way swivel that is 90 degrees clockwise. There should be one open eyelet when you get done, that is pointing strait downward.

Step#8 Pick up one of the 12” inch pieces of fire line you cut in step 5, then tie one end to the last remaining open eyelet of the first 3 way swivel that is tied directly to the line coming out of your fishing reel. Now pick up your second 3 way swivel and tie the top eyelet to the other end of the 12” line you just tied.

Step#9 Tie one of crappie hook leaders you made in step 4 to the open eye on the 3 way swivel that is 90 degrees clockwise. There should be one open eyelet when you get done, that is pointing strait downward.

Step#10 Pick up the last 12” inch piece of fire line you cut in step 5, then tie one end to the last remaining open eyelet of the second 3 way swivel. Now pick up your 1/4oz Egg or Bass sinker and tie it to the other end of the 12” line.

Step#11 Now to complete your crappie live bait rig, hook a crappie fishing minnow in front or the back of the dorsal fin on both hooks. By hooking the minnow this way it should make the minnow swim freely, as if he were wounded.

The Little Used Crappie Jigging Minnow Technique.

Kill one of your crappie minnows and hook it in the left or right gill. Drop your line and start jigging the minnow. This will make your minnow appear to be wounded as it flutters down in the water.

Well folks that concludes this article I hope this will help you when you are using crappie live bait.

Check out Mark’s website to get some amazing fishing information and fishing articles loaded with fishing tips that really work! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” At: http://www.oldfishinghole.com Get Your Free Fishing Tips About live crappie bait Here!