crappie, fish

[pasthedayaway]

hello all newbee here I am going to fish for crappie my very first time ever. are they a hard fish to target what should I look for what set up what bait plastic minnows what's the best way to rig up. any advise well help. any buddy want to take out a fellow fisherman and show him how to catch them. knowledge is the key and I lack that on this species.

[devjhold]

When targeting them through the ice I've found the most active time is just before the sun comes up and just before it goes down. You can catch them throughout the day but it could make for a long day. When targeting crappy I use an ultra lite or lite rod with nothing bigger than 4lb line. For best results I've found that a small jig head or small spoon tipped with either a halved minnow, minnow head or a few wax worm works best. You're going to want to locate some grassy cover about 8-12 feet down. You're going to want to do nice little jigging motions a foot or two above the weeds with the occasional long upstroke. Crappie look up when feeding so it's super important to keep the bait elevated. You'll notice lots of times they'll hit one an up stroke (apposed to a drop like bass hit in the summer) making the bite feel very light. Not always but most of the time. These are just a few tips I've picked up over the years. Everyone has their own way of doing things and that's the best part! Get your line wet and see what works for you and your lake! Have fun and stay safe bud!

[Elrik]

when they are feeding they can be all over the water column. Some of my best luck has been jigging about 4" below the ice. Makes for excitement when you see a big one materialize in front of you and inhale your bait!

[pasthedayaway]

Thanks for the details and advice I well try and keep you posted on my adventures

[waynellw]

The ice is over 5" thick last Saturday.