10 Tips For More Crappie
From “The Crappie Book: Basics and Beyond” by Keith Sutton

1. When crappie fishing with minnows, it’s best to use a fine-wired, long-shanked hook that won’t injure the minnow as much as a heavier hook. Such a hook also is more easily removed from the crappie’s mouth. Several styles can be used, but gold Aberdeen hooks are traditional favorites. Pick a size that’s appropriate for the size of minnow being used: No. 4 to No. 1 for small to medium minnows, and up to 1/0 or 2/0 when using big minnows for trophy-class slabs. If fish seem slow to bite, try changing to a red hook like Tru-Turn’s XX Long Shank, X Fine Wire, Blood Red Aberdeen hooks. Sometimes the change in color will increase the number of crappie you catch. (page 71)

2. Sensitive rods help you detect more light-biting crappie. One way to determine if you have a rod that is truly sensitive is to rub the rod tip lightly across some corduroy cloth. If your rod is sensitive, you’ll feel the material’s texture. (page 25)

3. If you can’t cast as far as you need to, switch to a spinning reel with a “long cast” style spool that is longer and shallower. On most reels, line starts flowing freely when you first cast, but as the line level drops on the spool, the line must climb a steeper grade over the spool lip. This increased friction reduces the distance you can cast. With a long-cast spool, the shallower design keeps the lip smaller, thus casting distances are improved. (page 27)

4. If you are fishing with minnows and crappie seem persnickety, fish the outer edges of cover with no bobber on your rig. Without any weight except that of the hook and a small split shot, a minnow sinks very slowly, twisting and darting as it does. Crappie find such baits irresistible. You’ll have to watch your line very closely as the bait sinks, looking for any slight movement indicating a hit. But when regular live bait tactics fail, this one can save the day. (page 70)

5. Crappie on beds often get spooked and disappear. If you wait 15 or 20 minutes and come back, chances are the fish will be in the same spot. But if you use an ordinary marker buoy to mark the spot, someone else is likely to see it and beat you to the punch. Instead, tie a piece of brightly colored yarn around a stickup or weed stem near the bedding area. That way, only you will know the location of the hotspot. (page 95)

6. When trolling, it’s important to know how much line you have out when a crappie hits. When using spinning or spincasting equipment, after you set the hook, mark the line just in front of your reel using a waterproof felt marker. When you pay out line to that mark and troll through the area again, you know your bait will be at the same depth as before. (page 141)

7. Wind can be an important factor in determining where you’re most likely to find early fall crappie. Wind pushes tiny invertebrates that minnows and other baitfish eat. If there’s a westerly wind for a couple of days, an east-shore area could hold the most fish, or vice versa. Consequently, you should always give wind-hit areas your full attention. (page 119)

8. One of my favorite lures for winter crappie is the Blakemore Road Runner. This horsehead spinner can be cast and retrieved up and down points, over and around humps and along deep sand bars and flats. It has what I call a double whammy—the flash of a spinner and the seductive dance of a marabou or rubber-skirted jig all wrapped up in one deadly little package. Use a varied retrieve, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes smooth, sometimes jerky. Occasionally, let the lure fall to the bottom then rip it upward again. All these shenanigans usually will be more than crappie can bear, and the flash of the little spinner whirling through the water just ahead of the action tail entices strikes from even the most finicky fish. (page 123)

9. A tiny piece of minnow added to a jig hook maintains the jig’s action while adding crappie-attracting scent. Use a sharp knife to cut a fillet from the baitfish’s side, then divide it lengthwise into two or more pieces. The added smell/taste increases your catch when finicky crappie avoid larger offerings. (page 42)

10. When fishing is slow during daylight hours, try an approach that duplicates the use of a crappie light at night. A light attracts insects, which in turn attracts minnows. But minnows also are attracted by chumming with dry dog food, bread crumbs or similar offerings. Scatter the chum by handfuls in several shallow-water areas, then move back to the first place you put chum and drop in a minnow. Fish each consecutive spot and see if your catch rate doesn’t improve. Often, it will. (page 107)