Searching for crappies

[slabchaser]

I love catching crappies but somtimes have a hard time finding them

What do some of you use as a search technique for finding crappies and what baits do you like to use?

If your new to a lake and you find some areas that look "fishy" how long would you stay there before leaving? and are you switching baits during that time or just using your go to lure?

thanks I think i need to change my name to slabsearcher

[Quetico]

I love casting Northland Thumper jigs and Power tubes. You can cover an area fairly quickly casting. They I've slowed the same presentation down and taken it more vertical when I have found them.

[Drewski]

Like Quetico said, Thumper jigs along with roadrunners are great search baits.

Once you find a school of fish you can slow down and fish them with plastics, or you can keep attacking them with the spinners.

My go to plastics are power minnows and power tubes.

[Jordyn Kaufer]

drewski what type of jigs do you use with the plastics?

[Drewski]

I use standard round leadhead jigs, usually in 1/16oz. I may use a 1/8oz if it's windy or a 1/32oz if I am fishing shallow or if the fish are in a negative mood. I like jigs without the collars because they wont tear or split your plastics.

Color varies to the mood of the fish, but green or pink are usually my favorites.

[Jordyn Kaufer]

Thank you drewski

[Drewski]

No problem Jordyn.

I see you're located somewhere in cass county. Where? I have a cabin in cass county.

If you want, shoot me an email. It's [email protected]

[fishing tech]

I troll with a beetle spin and plastic tail. Then when I find them I bobber fish.

[Phooj]

I just got back from Lake rebecca in greenfield, MN crappies are biting like crazy....OMG i was over my limit in 6 min or so

55west to 50 go left til you reach lake rebecca fish right by the boat launch...Good luck all

[dudewheresmyboat]

Phooj, must be big crappies in there.....

[Phooj]

decent size 7-10inch. hurry before it gets warmer this is the only place i fish for crappie so i don't know anywhere else that bite

[247outdoors]

Giving out secrets a no-no!, should have waited a while when it slows down to give out secrets! LOL! Yeah, but Phooj's right, they are biting like crazy! I'll be out there later today.

[BGP]

I live real close to there so I figured I would stop by and see what was going on. Did not even bring a fishing pole with. Lots of people down there and yes they were catching some fish. Got a peek in a couple of their buckets and well, they are small. Most of the fish were definatley closer to the 7 inch end of that range, if not smaller.

[Nick Kuhn]

Certain lakes are just that way. I know of a lake where you can't keep the crappies off your line, especially midsummer. You could catch a limit every day but a limit of 9+" might take you all season. Maybe nice for kids but when you're bass fishing with larger baits and crappies still hit them, it get's frustrating.

[Phooj]

secrets ( hot spots is okay) im a guy that likes to see everyone have fun regardling outside. besh wishes

[carpmanjake]

to find crappies in the spring (right after ice out) i start by fan casting minnows under a float with a slow retrieve around or in bays/lagoons/ backwaters/ marinas.

in the summer i will cast small 1-2" crankbaits around deep weedlines. if i see crappies following i know they are there. if they dont follow i will throw a 1/8oz pink jighead. with a 2" white grub. if i dont get anyfollowers then, i move on.

fall same tactics as above, but around and in shallower weed beds, timber, boat docks, floating swimming platforms etc.

instead of moving on after using the jig i will cast and retrieve a minnow under a float. if no takers, then i move on

[Reaper8]

Maybe this was a bad weekend but I went out Saturday and Sunday to no avail. We caught tons of sunny's on Saturday and nothing at all on Sunday. I was checking warm shallow bays and following most of the techniques talked about in the forum, I think I have lost my mojo!

[notsogoodfisherman]

Reaper8 don't feel bad. I just went out yesterday late afternoon for a couple of hours and tried all the techniques talked about here (for the third time this season) and came back skunked for the third time this spring. I had one nice hit on a minnow and floating jig. Most of the fish are stacked in "silos" typically in 24-18 fow still. The surface water temp was between 51-53 degrees with sunfish being shallow in about 8 fow. I think it is still too early for some lakes and not for others.

[half-dutch]

The best time to hunt crappies is dawn or dusk. A slow troll with jig and tube, jig and gulp or road runners and twisters, etc. along weed line edges and over the tops of submerged weed beds. That puts you in the general area, and sometimes all you need are the low light bites, allowing you to do other things during the day.

But they are also there during the day, and then you know where to search more carefully for the more resting, more concentrated schools, usually deeper down (but not always) along outside weedlines from where you took them from the tops of the weeds during low light. When I find them, I prefer to drift and cast, holding the boat with the electric. They will most likely be more concentrated in tighter schools in brighter light periods. If you can light up those schools, you won't have time to be putting on new minnows after every fish, better to use plastics or gulp that don't get torn up, and don't mess with the bobber either, just put everybody on the same countdown.

I like to have two types of rigs in the boat for new crappie waters. One for the hunt and the other for the smack down.