I've always used minnows on a bobber when fishing for crappie. How do you fish with a crappie jig to catch crappie?

Do you just cast the crappie jig out and steadily reel it in like a spinnerbait, drag it across the bottom or what?

Thanks.

Pretty much, you got it. Cast them out, and count them down to where the fish are, and reel them in just fast enough to keep them at that depth. Need to speed up to trigger bites, step in weight. Usually it's the opposite though, and you go lighter for slower retrieve. Do not try with suspended smallies, it doesn't work on them either.

Thanks for answering. What do you mean, "step in weight"? Thanks!

Sorry, step up, as in heavier.

You can use bobber as well with jig and let the motion of the water wiggle the jig. With bobber on also reel in 5' or so stop repeat.

DO you use a bobber with using a crappie jig?

You can use bobber as well with jig and let the motion of the water wiggle the jig. With bobber on also reel in 5' or so stop repeat.

Ok...thanks!

Fixed bobber for depths less than the length of the rod, and slip bobber and a stop for greater depths.

Do you use a beetle spin the same way as the crappie jig?

I dont. Jigs for me are verticle slight twitches up/down. Beetlespins around through brush timber structure moving.

I dont. Jigs for me are verticle slight twitches up/down. Beetlespins around through brush timber structure moving.

Agreed. I got a BPS crappie Jig Kit for 20 bucks, and I just cast them out near the timbers then twitches them a bit.

You guys are missing out NOT swimming a micro jig. It's a near motionless retireve, sort of like using hair jigs for smallies. Back when NY had a closed bass season, I caught a ton of crappie and gills this way. It was a lot easier to stay on them than any vertical presentation.

You guys are missing out NOT swimming a micro jig. It's a near motionless retireve, sort of like using hair jigs for smallies. Back when NY had a closed bass season, I caught a ton of crappie and gills this way. It was a lot easier to stay on them than any vertical presentation.

I am going to give this a try, and just retireve it slowly.

Crappie jigs aren't just for crappies, LMB and peacocks love them, not to mention lookdowns, jacks, and runners in sw. I soft jig them and swim them. I use light bucktails and tied jig heads with about 3-4" streamer, which work excellent jigging or swimming( steady retrieve with a slight pulsating motion).

I cast and count slow retrieve so slow if you can slow down your reeling to fast I use 1/32 single jigs if there real deep I'll tie on two jigs 18" apart it works for me

what are you guys counting for? how many seconds it take to hit the bottom? I mean for crappie fishing, I will either use minnow or Jig it. I would like to give the swimming retrieve a try, am I fishing it like a swim jig for bass?

You are counting it down to the depth the fish are.

You can fish a rig anyway you want there are many ways and techniques to do so. You have the spawn and you can pretty much catch crappie in 6"-5' deep on just dropping a jig head with a grub with tail and not even have to move it..roster tails work very well during spawn...to go after the bigger crappie I use a jig head and minnow.

A 1/32 jig in 60 degree water falls about 9" a second a 1/16 falls about 1foot a second depending on the jig body style and shape of lead head I start our at a 10 count if no takers I'll count to 15 if no takers 5 and so on till I find whatever depth there holding another tip is don't be afraid to cast at open water Crappie will suspend in the middle of the water column some time you don't have to have structure to catch them

I usually start out with the crappie jig about 2' below the bobber. I throw it out and reel it back in slow. If I don't get anything after a couple of times, I run the bobber so that the jig hangs down deeper.

We are catching crappie this week in water 12-18 ft by drifting/trolling motor very slowly, finding brushpiles, then jigging tube jigs very slowly up and down in the brush. Most fish are coming on chartreuse/black tubes. Caight about thirty fish on Wednesday in Percy Priest lake, Mt. Juliet, TN

Does anyone here use rooster tails for crappie? I always thought they were more for trout but my buddy says he uses them for crappie. Anyone here had any luck with them for crappie?

Does anyone here use rooster tails for crappie? I always thought they were more for trout but my buddy says he uses them for crappie. Anyone here had any luck with them for crappie?

Oh yea, especially during the spawn, crappie are very aggressive during the spawn.I've caught my largest on zoom fluke and rostertails.

Had pretty good luck trolling a deep diving pointer sp (ghost minnow color) this winter in central VA. Caught alot of Crappie and a few LMB trolling the deeper sections of ponds.

I've caught the dickens out of 'em during the spawn using a 1/8 oz., chrome/blue back Mini-trap.

Tom