Crappie Jigs or jiggin spoons

[slim33]

What is the favorite bait for crappies through the ice you all like, I have found the forage minnow with minnow head to work great over the past years. I have been using the 1/16th slender spoon this season with good results.

[GeluNumber1]

I like the northland gill getters and mooska jigs tipped with either a minnow or eurolarvae. So far, the gill getter has hooked bigger crappies, and the mooska has more numbers of fish.

[rough_rider]

live minnows with bare hook or a demon-type jighead. The way nature intended. if you don't want a big fathead minnow, i don't want you.

[stealth3350]

i catch most of the bigger crappies on a red rattlin flyer tipped with minnow head.. otherwise i prefer northland bllod worms.. i rarely use live bait for panfish

[usmtsrocks]

Gill getters and mud bugs tipped with an impulse tapeworm. If bite is tough skip tapeworm and use red euros. I rarely use anything else when fishing panfish.

[The_Slayer]

live minnows with bare hook or a demon-type jighead. The way nature intended. if you don't want a big fathead minnow, i don't want you.

Rough Rider... I appreciate where you're coming from but... Was out yesterday fishing crappies w/my brother-in-law. I was using a flutter jig w/a Northland bloodworm, he was using minnows. Score = Me 20 crappies, Him -0-! Sometimes you have to mix it up or you're gonna go home skunked when you don't have to.

[Vitreus]

I agree. You have to have more than one trick up your sleeve. Spoons seem to work great for larger aggressive fish.

[slim33]

Well I went on a trip this weekend and we slayed the crappies using forage minnows, slender spoons and live bait on jigs, as long as it glowed it worked. Awesome weekend!!

[minky]

Small glow demon with an orange head, tipped with a wax worm. When I use this set up on a spring bobber rod I can see the smallest bite.

[Jim Uran]

Smallest Lindy Frostee spoon in red glow works great tipped with a minnow head or some plastic!

[bbfenatic]

I am finding bigger crappies up high in the water column using a 1/4oz jig head with a 2.5" Gulp Minnow jigging very aggressively. I leave everything on the bottom alone and keep jigging up high and they suddenly show up and they are very aggressive. 90% of the crappies that show up on the Marcum that high are engulfing that big presentation. I am in 25 - 35' basins finding the bigger fish 10-20' down.

[walleyefey]

1/32 oz Lindy Slick Jig with an Impulse plastic tail. Gives off a rockin wobble thas turns em on!

[pushbutton]

Like Rough Rider or bbfenatic…..go big or go home Can catch small fish all day long on small set ups

[minky]

Just know on certain days the biggest crappies are going to want a small snack jigged very lightly over a super sized meal.

[hardcore365]

+1 on the small bait. Was out fishing the other day and was marking tons of fish suspended 6'-10' up in 24 fow and couldn't buy a bite with spoons. Tied on a red tungsten toad with one red spike and game on. Proceeded to catch about 20-30 crappies in about an hour and a half. Biggest one about 13.5" most between 10.5"-12". Moral of the story don't pigeon hole yourself into one presentation let the fish tell you, it'll only help you become a better angler.

[JakeJ_Mn]

I went crappie fishing today for the first time is a few years on the ice. Since I don't do this very often, I went thru the threads here for some advice on lures and such.

I started out by drilling 14 holes until I saw fish is about 28 fow. I set up using a plain red hook with a minnow and jigged with several different plastics on the other. Over the course of 8 hours, I never had to move and caught 22 crappies 10 of which were 10-12 inches. Not sure if this was good, but it was relaxing. 12 were caught on minnows and 10 on plastics. 6 kept on minnows and 4 on plastics. Best plastic was the BroBug red bloodworm. The crappies made a great Super Bowl meal.

[BTL]

I like to use homemade jigging spoons for crappie. I usually don't add bait, but occasionally I'll tip with a Gulp Waxie.

[Coldwater Crappie Guy]

Nice work Jake J!

Nothing better than a nice fresh crappie meal!

[minky]

Great post!

[M1dwestF1sh]

I have been using fiskas jugs for a few years and they still out fish everything most days. Those small tungsten jigs tipped with spikes or plastics really get the crappies but unfortunately the sunnies find them irresistible too...

[monstermoose78]

So far me this winter up sizing has been the ticket. I start with a size 10 diamond jigs and waxie, fatboy jig and waxies, and plastics on them as well. This is my normal go to size for gills and crappies, but the crappies have not wanted this set up.

This winter has been about 1/16 oz buckshots and 1/16 oz lindy rattl'n flyers with a minnow head for crappies. Silver and the glow red have been the hottest colors for me. I jig very aggressive and slow to tiny bounce once the fish is moving in close. They have been just crushing this set up for me.

I went crazy buying tiny tungsten jigs just before we got ice and was pumped up to use them. I got some 2.5 mm and 3 mm jigs I tied up and rigged with plastics. Downsizing has not work so far. I am sure it may sooner than later. Only time will tell.

When I am chasing crappies after dark I always make sure I have glow jig and crappie minnow down. So far this winter my float has gone under 3 times and out of those 3 times. I caught 2 crappies both under 8 inches.

Good Luck

[Gobbles113]

I often have to upsize with spoons and minnow head combo. However, I struggle in this area of expertise. How do you work with those spoons? Stroke it, jig it, stroke-pause, lift? I am curious how this system really works. Any feedback or input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[monstermoose78]

The best motion I can describe it as is like your hammering a nail to call them in. Then once the fish come in I slow it down to where the tip of the rod is just bouncing or bobbing maybe an 1/4 inch up and down tops. The last few times they have just crushed it. I use light action rods for this.

Gobbles did that description help?

[Gobbles113]

Thanks, monstermoose, for the tip!

[NELS-BELLS]

On the lakes that we have fished so far, a tungsten horizontal jig tipped with plastic has been the most consistent producer for crappies.

On one lake, the crappies and few sunnies have been suspended about 6 - 8' off the bottom in about 30'. The water is very clear and the fish are finicky. On some days we have to go to a small black jig tipped with a couple Eurolarve to get them to bite.

We fished another lake the same day that we had fished the clear lake and this lake was dirty. The fish were suspended about 12' off the bottom in about 25' and just crushing anything that you put in front of them.

Moral of the story is that I believe the water clarity has a lot to do with it.

Nels