newbie

[Guest]

can you guys give me a hand and tell me some bait or lures or whatever to catch big crappies and bluegills?also whats a good rod and reel under $60 im on a budget my other half says so also anything on bobbers and hooks would be apreciated too

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fryin pans be full

[Guest]

Welcome to the board.

1/32 oz. marabou jigs from walmart..can't beat em' for Crappies. Don't need to tip with bait either most of the time.

A good reel for Crappies is the Quantum ss-1 with front drag. They are around 20 bucks.

Rods are a dime a dozen, just find a good 5'10"-6' medium action rod...Don't need to spend big dollars for Crappies.

Colors for jigs that are good is white/white/ pink/yellow, and black.

Look for Crappies right now in 12-25 feet of water off break lines and adjacent to shallow weedy flat areas.

Good luck

PCG

[Crawlerman]

I would stay away from a "medium action" Unless you plan to use it for other species. Ultralights are the ONLY way to go for panfish. I have a 5' Shimmano Ultralight rod with a Shakespeare Sigma (one of those TINY ultralight reels) spinner and 4lb test. Also-- Small Ultralights can cast jigs as small as 1/16 or even 1/32 if you use 2lb test without added weight. A quantum Micro combo is a nice ultralight combo that runs around $25-30. You can find these at most outdoor equiment stores, inculding some wallmarts and K marts. Plus.. you'd be suprised on what you can do with an ultralight rod if you play the fish right. I've landed 5lb carp, 3lb bass, and 5lb pike on ultra-light equipment.

[This message has been edited by Crawlerman (edited 10-05-2002).]

[Guest]

BIG agree on ultralight!! A 1/2 lb. sunnie feels like a 3 lb. bass on a thin stick. For sensitivity, make sure the rod has a stiff back, and a flexible tip. I use a gimmicky telescoping 5' ultra - South Bend brand. It fits in my tackle box.
Old fiberglass rods are fun, too.
Reel? Don't get the South Bend cheap-o. My spindle shaft bent, and now I have no reel. Can't say I didn't get my $15.00 worth out of it, though.

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RobertC

[DickUrban]

I enjoy using a Cabela's "crappie System" rod - a 9", 2 piece ultralight (about $45)and A Silstar Tiny 20 spinning reel (about $20) with 4 pound test and a Thill "stealth" bobber. Lots of fun with panfish - a good sized bluegill puts the tip in the water. Have boated 7 pound channel cat, 5 pound largemouth and 5 pound pike with this rig - very carefully.

[Guest]

how much does that gimmicky run robetc? im not gonna spend a lot but i need a new rod.
thanks a heap

[Guest]

how much does that gimmicky run robertc?im not gonna spend a lot but i need a new rod
thanks a heap

[Guest]

Fishgun -
Sorry to leave ya hangin' for 3 weeks, there. I bought it for like...$15-20 five years ago at Sears. My Mother in-law got a telescoping Shakespeare and was really dissapointed. Rod broke from yanking a snag, and the reel was a birdnest from the first cast. More and more, I'm finding Shakespeare stuff to be...well...dump.

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RobertC