I just want some tips on some lures to throw to catch crappie and panfish when the bass fishing is slow... thanks.

 

 

-Payton

Crappie can be unpredictable and hard to find at times. I fish three different lakes for crappie and it seems that there's a new "best color" every year. The good thing is crappie jigs are cheap. Get you a bunch of Bobby Garland colors and sizes. If the water is muddy try a Road Runner. Don't be afraid to go small on the baits.

My personal favorites: electric chicken; Cajun cricket; blue thunder

Heck, today I caught a 14" crappie on my RatLtrap while I was bass fishing.

when i doubt, go small. Most panfish don't have big mouths, and they will attack big lures but you won't hook any. If they can't fit the hook in their mouth

Locating crappies can be a chore because they school and move a lot where I fish.I constantly watch the water for dimples and swirls of feeding fish. Its hard to find them when they are not up. Often times the best bite is day time before sunrise.

Sometime I use a medium depth crankbait and burn it to actually bump into fish, then go try  for them with conventional baits.Change colors often to find their favorite, which may change by the hour.

Also I will use  a  2oz sinker in the same manner as the crankbait. Keep in mind these are open water fish not relating to downfalls. Little crazy,I know but sometimes it works.

For bluegill the best bait I have found is a lindy little nipper jig in 1/64 ounce size tipped with a wax worm.  Another thing you might want to try is white bass fishing.  Most guys don't like them, but I think they're a blast.  They school by the hundred and are extremely aggressive, so it's not hard to catch ten to twenty an hour once you find them.  The best tactic for them is to cover water quickly throwing a white roostertail until you find them.  There favorite areas are rip rap points and wind wind blown shorelines.  Most people don't eat them, but I think they are just as good eating and much harder fighting than crappie.

Try a little jighead with a white/chartreuse split tail grub. Bps and cabelas have them called "crappie magnets " and their slogan is "sore lip em all" . And that you will. Everything hits em. I've had 3 pound bass take one.  And also this nice Gill. 

Hard to beat a 1/16 oz. ball head jig with 2" curly tailed grub on the back.

i've been killing panfish with trout magnets the last 3 years...

Rooster Tails work great for any type of panfish.

T-Rig sluggos are killer for crappies high in the water column

In my experience, catching panfish in a pond/small body of water is not hard when you have good conditions, tactics, and equipment.  I like to go out on cloudy, cool (about 55-75 degrees) days when there is little wind. But most bluegills will hit no matter what the day is like.

 

As far as equipment goes, I run a 5' 6'' UL spinning outfit with 6 lb. mono as mainline and a 4lb. mono leader (6 lb. doe not twist or tangle nearly as easily).  I occasionally tie on a snap swivel, depending on the lure.  As far as bait, I try to keep it simple.  Here are my top 3-

1. Roostertails- Probably (and arguably) the best freshwater fishing lure of all time.  These are really versatile as they can be burned, worked slowly, jigged, hopped, or darted.  I suggest you pick up one of the 5 packs of Mepp's spinners or Blue Fox Vibrax spinners, in 1/16 or 1/8 oz., depending on the size of the fish near you.  If you want to go minimalist, buy a 1/8 oz. roostertail or similar spinnerbait, in white.  Then buy two more, one in black and one in white, in 1/16 oz. 

2. Jigs/Tubes- I like these for smaller fish (like sunfish, pumpkinseeds, small perch, shad, etc.) because they are usually small in profile.  But they can catch bigger panfish as well, so don't rule them out.  I like to use feather figs in 1/16 oz., but you can go smaller, or even up to 1/8 oz.  Bass Pro makes some of the best I've found.  Otherwise, I use unpainted jigheads with plastic trailers, usually trout magnets, but I also like tubes, small creatures, and small rubber imitations.  You can also tip these ith small globs of worms of minnows.

3. Crankbaits- I am a big fan of using small crankbaits for panfish as it's a lot of fun for me. they are really productive and are something that many fish in pressured water don't see everyday.  MY favorite is the Rebel Deep Wee r, but Strike kings and Arkies work too.  Also look at the rebel insect series. 

Another viable option is using live/cut bait.  For this, I like my old Zebco spin caster, though a Lite action spinning rig would work ok too.  It was spooled with 10 lb. mono, but I added a 4 lb. leader. 6 lb. mono would be good too, you never know what is going to bite (I've had big carp, shad, and even catfish break off my lines before when fishing in small ponds).  I tie on a #4 hook, add split shots to the line, and clip on a bobber.  I like nightcrawlers and bloodworms the most, but minnows are good for bigger fish (crappies, perch, etc.).  You can also tie a double-rig by basically tying on  a hook like you were making a dropshot rig, but then tying on a second hook in place of the sinker.  But check the law before you do this (illegal in some states)         

 

When fishing, I usually try to pick out cover/structure that is easy to cast to.  I approach it without making excessive noise or commotion, watch for blowups on the water's surface, and work out how I want to pick it apart.  Since the fish are usually in schools/groups, I try to concentrate on single targets (or 'zones') at a time.  I make a short cast to or past make target, then work it back fast or slow, depending on what the fish like.  If you take care, you may be able to pick apart a large school of fish and catch 5-10 (or more) off of a single target.  Try to use as much finesse as you can though, especially when throwing back fish, bringing them in, or making large splashes in the water.  Though most panfish are pretty ballsy, they're not clueless..

My favorite places to target them are rockpiles and riprap banks made up of large rocks.  The panfish can hide in the rocks and debris and will, at least in my experience, gather in these places in large numbers.  You can make a cast parallel to the target, just past it, and retrieve it at a medium speed.  With a jig, you can try bouncing it off the rocks, but you will get caught and lose lures.  Comes with the territory. 

You can also try to fish around downed trees, shrubbery, and other vegetation/timber in the water that's (semi) submerged.  A jig under a bobber may be your best bet in this situation, but you could also just work your lure around the structure, as mentioned previously.  Don't rule out any place as they will congregate almost any place they can swim in and out of.  I've hooked into large schools (30+ fish) that were clinging to a riprap bank that was no more than 8'' deep.

I hope this can help you out.  This is just what I've learned from my experiences of targeting panfish.  I like them because they're so responsive to lures and are a lot bolder than most bass.  Go out and experiment and find what works for you. Good luck,  @pwahmy

specks:White roostertails

Bream:Yellow and black beetlespins.