I live in SC and moved to a house with an 8 acre pond. This past spring when we moved in the crappie were biting like crazy. I've been bass fishing ever since. I was thinking about trying to do some winter crappie fishing. In the spring we used minnows.

What is best to use in the winter when crappie fishing? Minnows like in the spring? Is it easy to catch them in the winter?

Thanks guys!

Crappie usually bite fairly well in winter, at least compared to other species. Lately we've been tearing them up on the potomac. They'll hit minnows for sure, but I don't have the patience for live bait, so let me suggest some artificials: I always start with 2" curly tail grubs. I start with 1/8 oz and move up to 1/4 oz if I need to get deeper (you'll know the right depth when you start getting bit). In clear water, use a silver color or something natural like baitfish. Move up to white, then chartreuse as the water gets more stained. Black if its muddy. You can also go to slighty larger (up to 3") baits for the bigger fish if they're there. Non-curly tailed baits can work when vertical jigging -- straight tailed Gulp minnows are awesome. start with very subtle action (barely moving the bait) and get more aggressive ONLY if you don't get bit. A light action rod and 6 lb line will help you with the light bites. Hope this helps, pm me if you want more tips.