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 Always use your local bait shop and state or federal department of natural resources to get local fishing information. Here are some good questions to ask; “What crappie minnow rigs people are using” , “ What type of crappie live bait anglers are using”, “What types of crappie fishing jigs and what sizes are fisherman using”, “What is the average size of the crappies fisherman are catching” “Where are the best spots to catch crappie”. The folks at the bait stores talk to fisherman everyday and the department of natural sources do annual netting of crappie to determine the average. size and numbers of these fish, they are a valuable resource when developing your list. You want to be as thorough as you can be with these folks because based on the information you obtain from these folks you are going to make your best crappie bait selection. For example if after interviewing your local bait shop and the department of natural resources you find out the average catch size anglers are catching is around 1/2lb to 1lb. Live bait fisherman are having the best luck using fathead minnows, and fisherman using jigs are catching crappie on small 1/64oz to 1/32oz jigs painted florescent green. The fish are being caught in the shallow areas around sunken trees. Ok al you need to do now is make you crappie rigging to march your information. Those 10 or 15-minute interviews can make the difference of catching fish or coming home empty handed. After you have set up your crappie crappies fishing rigging and caught a few fish, clean a few and see what is inside their stomachs this is a excellent way to find out exactly what crappie are eating on any given day!
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 you will be able to use crappie fishing rigs ranging in size from 1/64oz to 1/4oz depending on the size of fish you plan to target. The majority of the crappie fish’s diet will consist of adult & and recently hatched forage fish fry. You can adjust your crappie minnow rigs based on the size of fish you plan to target. The smaller fish will be feeding on the fry so choose a crappie bait to match the size of the fry. A choice of about 1/64oz would be good here. If you are going after slabs then adjust your crappie rigging accordingly. A bait for crappie selection of 1/8oz to 1/4oz would be a great choice here. As in the other guidelines you can verify your sizes by checking the content of the stomachs of the fish you catch.
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” www.oldfishinghole.com
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