This page is designed to share ideas and techniques on the sport of Crappie fishing. E-mail me your questions or your comments on the questions and answers on this page.
Q: What are some of the basic techniques for fishing around bridge pilings?
A: Fish around and in between the pilings that are out of the direct sunlight. Crappie tend to hang around the pilings that are shaded. Let your jig down to the bottom and come up one turn of the reel, moving the jig slowly and twitching it every so often. If no results, come up in one turn increments until you find the depth where the fish are. If a bridge has horizontal braces down under the water let down on top of the brace and then move to one side and let the jig fall off the brace down a couple of feet and move it around ever so slowly. Light line is very important, and you should not use over 8 pound test at the maximum. Set the hook at the faintest strike or if you feel pressure while jigging up and down. Try to locate the pilings where fishermen have placed brush piles. This is where you will catch more fish. If you go without a bite for 10 minutes, then move to the next row of pilings. Crappie tend to be shallower earlier in the morning and go deeper as the sun intensifies. An essential in Crappie fishing is a good depth finder. It will tell you what depth the fish are, and will enable you to locate brush piles under the bridge. I use 1/32 and 1/16 oz. jigs when fishing the pilings. Change colors until you find what they are biting.
Bill English
Q: I know of a pond nearby that has numerous crappie. I know this because the only way that you can catch them is by a minnow and bobber almost every cast. Everytime that you use a night crawler, all you catch are bluegills and sunfish and a few bass. What artificial lure can I use to catch them ?
A: Finicky Crappie! You might try using a Sassy Shad, which is an artificial plastic minnow with realistic tail action. You can buy them at any Wal-Mart.
Bill English
Q: When you use minnows, do you prefer Reds, or regular. Or is it a seasonal thing?
A: We use regular minnows or shad here. We don't have availibility to reds.
Bill English
Q: How do you construct your brush piles ?
A: I use hollow core building blocks. I jam 6 to 8 feet tall brush down into the block and then pour Sakrete (ready mix concrete) down into the block around the brush to hold it in place. I take a liquid laundry detergent plastic bottle (one of the big 48 oz. sizes) and silicone seal the lid on tight so it won't leak, then tie it to the top of the brush to make it stand upright. This brush pile will be heavy so get some help. Place the brush pile around bridge pilings, around piers, or on the edge of drop-offs and creeks in the lake bottom structure.
Bill English
Q: I am trying to become a good sac-lait or crappie fishermen,and i know that i must learn to keep my jig horizontal while fishing how do i tye the jig.also how we use the christmas tree or multiple jigs how do tie them . thanks
A: There is a link on the home page for a site in Australia that has a wide selection of knots and how to tie them. It will show you how to tie a loop that will keep your jig level. I use a "FasSnap" to keep my jig level. It is available from Bass Pro Shops. I only fish with one jig at a time, so I can't relate to the "Christmas Tree" rig you are referring to.
Bill English
Q: How do I know what color lure to select?
A: When the Crappie are really stacked up in numbers and are in a feeding frenzy, it doesn't matter too much about lure selection. I have caught them on bass lures, and on worms while bream fishing. However, when they are biting slow and you have to finess them, the general rule is to use bright colored jigs in clear water and darker colored jigs in murky or stained water. I think the key to Crappie fishing, more than anything else, is to find the fish and hope they are feeding.
Q: What size jig is the best for Crappie ?
A: Some days Crappie prefer a smaller jig and I use the 1/32 oz. or smaller. At other times you can use a 1/16 oz. if it is windy and you need the extra weight to cast in the wind or just make your lure sink faster. When I use these lighter weight jigs I use a 1/32 or 1/16 oz. split shot about six inches above the jig for extra weight to cast or just make the jig sink faster. When I'm using a weedless jig I use the 1/8 oz. and 1/16 oz. because I don't have to use a split shot with it to have enough weight to cast the jig. The split shot will hang up in the cracks of the stumps and thus defeat the purpose of the weedless jig. It is a common myth that weedless jigs are harder to obtain a good hook set, but I have noticed no difference between them and regular jigs.
Crappie Tales
Q: Do crappie jigs work for small stripers ? Chance
A: Yes they do. I have caught all kinds of fish on Crappie jigs, including
Alligator Gar (In the river) and Catfish.
Bill English
Q: My boyfriend is looking for a crappie jig that has a yellow head, orange body and a triple tail. I have searched almost everywhere and i am unable to find them. Any suggestions would be very helpful.
Thank You, Melissa Lambert
A: Send me an e-mail describing the triple tail in detail and I can tell you whether it is possible for me to make it. I am sure I can.
Bill English
Q: My brother and I have personally caught over 250 crappie in one spot ranging from 10" to 14" in length. Can you tell me what is the norm on crappie herds in a good sized lake?
Theo "Fish-0n" Nelson
A: Crappie stage at different times of the year and it is possible to catch many in one spot. I have done the same thing in the Hawkins lake. I would believe that 10" to 14" is indeed the norm on those staging schools.
Bill English
Q: Why one day do I catch around structure then next day I have to drift along bank casting at edge of moss and bring to deep water-- also when are they going to spawn in deep water they were at the dam at lake of the pines this time last year and had been for a couple of weeks but there not there now---what month in the spring is the best for crappie fishing--sorry but I have a million questions--I wish we could fish together cause i do have a million questions---longview tx--p.s. I have seen a lot of sites about fishing lures and such but yours stands out among all of them--- sorry another question I saw your glow in the dark jig I have found that I can catch crappie till the sun goes down but when it does they stop biting what do I do to catch them after dark Andy Parks Longview, Texas
A: There are many variables involved in fishing for Crappie. Weather, moon phase, time of day, length of day, water temperature, oxygen content of the water at various depths and SHAD. I consult the Texas Fish Calendar quite often to find the prime times for fishing. http://www.TexasPrimeTimes.com/Texas_Fishing_Calendars If we could predict what the shad were going to do, we could catch all the Crappie.
Shad are the Crappie's main food, just as they are for every other fish in a lake. When you find the shad you usually can find the Crappie.
Crappie move to the shallows to feed on the shad at night. The shad move there for more protection. That is why they usually shut down biting in deeper water about dark, along with the sun going down. Crappie prefer shade in bright daylight, and when the sun goes down they can get away from the structure until sunrise the next day. The Crappie are normally at a lesser depth early in the morning under the bridges for this reason.
My favorite spring month is April. The fish are hungry after the winter and are more aggressive. I seem to catch more fish per trip during this time. My favorite fishing time, though, is fall. I love the cool temperatures and the beautiful fall leaves.
You can catch the Crappie using the Glow jigs at night along the shore and around the boat houses and piers. I have done it many times, as well as under the bridge at the new Gilmer lake, which is relatively shallow.
