Casting For Crappie- What to Throw and When
It’s no secret that the latest craze and one that isn’t going away anytime soon is crappie fishing with forward facing sonar. All the techniques can be done utilizing forward facing sonar, from spider rigging, long lining, power trolling, flipping, and my favorite technique, casting. One of the questions I get regularly from anglers new to casting while utilizing forward facing sonar is, what bait are you using to be successful?
While this to some may seem like an open and shut questions, with only one clear and concise answer, it’s more complex than that. If you look inside the built-in cup holders in my boat, you’ll see it is littered with multiple different shapes, sizes, and colors of plastics and hair jigs at any given time. In order to break down what I cast and when, I’m going to break it down by seasons. This seems to be the easiest way as different times of the year, crappie want different presentations, bait styles, and sizes. The information here may not hold true to all lakes as I know certain guys that throw huge baits with great success year-round. I also know guys that only throw one size and color of bait year-round with fantastic success as well. These techniques are what works for me to be successful on the water.
Starting off, let’s talk about Spring. When crappie are shallow on beds and extremely aggressive. I utilize my forward-facing sonar to locate crappie moving along the bottom in shallow water This is when I will use a natural looking bait, but nothing too big. I’m primarily using a 2” Crappie Magnet and more times than not, in either Shonuff/Chartreuse or Mermaid. Due to the shallow water, I’m choosing a jig head with a slow fall rate and usually wind up using a 1/16-ounce Eye Hole Jig. This is the time of year that I’m putting the jig under a float, casting to visible brush on the bank, and retrieving it slowly. During the Spring at times, I have also found fish in creeks moving towards shallow water. An angler can be successful casting for crappie during the Spring with or without forward facing sonar.
During the summer, I tend to locate fish on deeper flats and creek channels. I locate single roaming fish on these contours utilizing forward facing sonar. Due to the fish being deeper in the water column, I will usually throw a 1/8-ounce Fin Spin Eye Hole Jig with a Crappie Magnet Slab Curly in Butla Gold or Shonuff/Chartreuse. The Slab Curly is a curly tail bait with a hinged mid-section that allows the tail to turn at extremely slow speeds. The action in the Slab Curly along with the scent in the Fin Spin Eye Hole make the give that reactionary bite.
In the Fall, I have learned that fish on my home lake will be located in creek channels or on the edge of river channels. Most of the time, I will find these fish in eight to fourteen foot of water and either right on the bottom in brush or suspended just off the bottom. For the Fall bite, I like to cast a 1/16- or 1/32-ounce Eye Hole Jig with a Crappie Magnet Tiny Dancer in Double Ugly or Shonuff. The Tiny Dancer is a 1 7/8” paddle tail bait with insane tail action! The smaller jig head allow the bait to fall at a slower speed and allows me to retrieve it at a slower speed while keeping it in the strike zone!
In the Winter, I locate most of the crappie suspended on or around brush. It will be different for every lake, but on my home lake, I, along with many other anglers, tend to locate better fish on the edge of the river channel. For the Winter bite, I will use a 1/16-ounce Crappie Magnet PopEye Jig in white or white/black. The smaller profile, along with the slow falling presentation tends to trigger the crappie to eat. I had a guy tell me one time, “Crappie are a lot like me. I don’t always want a four-course meal, but I will always snack.” This guy was notorious for catching giant crappie and would often downsize his baits when the bite was tough.
Now you know what bait I’m using and the times of the year I’m using. The next question you most likely have as some anglers do is, “What rod? What line?” For casting, I primarily use the B’n’M TCB rod. TCB stands for Trout, Crappie, and Bluegill. To build this rod, B’n’M teamed up with Leland’s Lures, makers of Trout Magnet and Crappie Magnet. This 6.5′ two-piece rod is light as a feather and will provide an exciting tussle when trout, bluegill, crappie, or perch fishing. The TCB series is made of premium graphite and is built to use lures as light as 1/64oz. on 2lb. test line! The split handle sports a distinctively designed reel seat, reduces weight and feels great in your hand. Everyone that I have turned onto the TCB has absolutely loved it. Line selection for me could be an entire article along, but mainly I choose my line based on the water clarity. If the water is dingy, I will use K9 Fishing five-pound yellow crappie braid. With the TCB and braided line combo, I’m able to detect the softest of bites which is crucial on those days when the fish are finicky. If the water is semi-clear, I will use K9 Pro 100 Fluorocarbon six-pound test. Fluorocarbon line has more stretch than braid, but less stretch than a monofilament line. If the water is extremely clear like a Table Rock Lake or Dale Hollow Lake, I will use Trout Magnet SOS two-pound line. Yes, you read that right, two-pound line. The Trout Magnet SOS is a Fluorocarbon line and for being only two-pound line is extremely tough.
Next time you hit the water, leave the long rod at home and give casting for crappie a try. Whether you are utilizing forward facing sonar or not, there’s nothing more exhilarating than feeling that crappie thump!
