Crappie fishing tackle Guidelines: Check Out This Crappie Minnow Rig Here!
Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets
If you are a crappie fisherman you probably are always looking for that edge on how to catch crappie. I could give you some elaborate spiel like, “ If you use these guidelines you are guaranteed to catch crappie” but lets face it anyone who is an avid fisherman looks at statements like that as a “lot of bull” What I would like to do though is share some common guidelines I use to develop your own list of tips to catch crappie. You see on any given day you can get skunked, even the pros do once in awhile. The trick is to refine your skills to understand what crappie live bait or tackle for crappie fishing to use in different seasons and different fishing situations. To this you need to develop your own personal list of crappie fishing guidelines.
Guideline #1 Visit your local State Department of Natural Resources and your local bait shops to get some valuable fishing information about the crappie population in your area. You need to find out what type of crappie fishing rigs are being used to catch fish. You need to find out the average size of the fish being caught and if any larger crappies are being caught. You need to find out what types of crappie jigs are best, what size and what color. The color doesn’t mater as much as matching the size and the to the forage fish that crappies are eating, such as crappie minnows. You Can verify very quickly what the fish are eating after you catch a few and check the contents of their stomachs. Based on what you find you can adjust your crappie rigging and crappie baits accordingly.
Guideline #2 Spring is the most active time of year for the crappie species. Get your crappie minnow rigs and your arsenal of jigs for crappie ready because the crappie fish will be active! Crappie will start spawning when the water temperature reaches about 56degrees Fahrenheit. The crappies will be eating large adult crappie minnows right before the spawn because their natural forage fish do not spawn until later in the spring and summer when the water temperature rises to above 70degrees Fahrenheit. So if your wondering what crappie baits to choose keep in mind that the early spring crappie and the fish on the spawning nests will be eating larger forage fish. You can verify this information but cutting open the stomachs of a few fish and example the contents. Another important tip to catch crappie is the fact that nesting crappie hate any fish invading their nesting areas. You can use this to your advantage because these fish will “strike out at any thing that invades there nesting area.
Guideline #3 In the summer months your choice of crappie fishing rigging and crappie bait can vary on the size of fish you want to target. As the water temperature warms to 70 degrees Fahrenheit the forage fish such as crappie fishing minnows begin to spawn. And will continue to spawn throughout late spring and well into summer or until the water temperature approaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The smaller crappie will feed off the fry while the larger crappie will feed off of the adults. The size of your crappie baits will mater in the summer. For example if you want to catch crappie in the 1lb range you will need to use larger crappie live bait and larger crappie jig sizes. If the fish are feeding on threadfin shad you will need to match the size and look of these forage fish if you want to be successful. A good way to create your imitation is to catch a few shad and use them to make your crappie baits.
Guideline #4 Special fishing situations will need special crappie rigging preparation. There are only two common situations that I will talk about here. The first is how to catch crappie if the water is very muddy or stained. There are some very easy tips to catch crappie you can use here. Crappies have very good eye site and outstanding hearing. If you come across situations where the water is stained and muddy, then you need to dress up your crappie baits to hone in on the crappies good hearing because there line of sight will very limited. Attach some shiny rotating blades to your line just about the hooks. Then attach a line rattle. A crappie will zone in on the noise of the rattle and then it gets close the crappie will see and go after the rotating blade thinking it is a wounded crappie fishing minnow. If the water is extremely clear you will need to use a very small diameter line, fire line is good for this application. You will need to sharpen up your crappie bait imitation skills. You will need to use crappie rigging, and crappie baits in the 1/64oz to 1/32oz sizes.
Mark Fleagle is an Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. and has over 30 years of fishing experience who has written 100’s of useful fishing articles. Would you like to max out your catch on your next fishing trip? Blow your fishing buddies out of the water and get your bragging rights today! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” http://www.oldfishinghole.com
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Crappie fishing :Where Are The Best Place To Catch Crappie?
Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets
Crappie fishing is a great way to break into the sport of fishing but you do need to know where to find them. I have identified some sure fire crappie catching locations that always seem to hold a good population of crappie. I think this information will help you on your next fishing trip for crappies, regardless if you are a beginner or an experienced angler.
#1 Savvy crappie fisherman who fish from a boat figured out years ago that if you follow the Threadfhin Shad ( Dorosoma petenense ) schools you will find the big slab crappie. Unfortunately these small little crappie bait fish do not habitat through out the entire crappies habitat range, but if you happen to live in any states that are west of the Appalachian mountains , north to Kentucky, west to East Texas, south to the Rio Grand drainage, and east to Florida. You are in luck. Also California and Arizona have introduced the Threadfin Shad to there large Lake and reservoir systems. These little critters typically like noticeable current and stay primarily in the upper five feet of the waters they frequent. Tip: Set all you crappie fishing rigs between the depths of 2 to five feet until your baits are at the same depths as the shad schools. This is where the large crappies will come up to feed.
#2 Look for small ponds and water impoundments that are adjacent to main bodies if water that have a defined access to the main watershed area. These area are the prime feeding grounds for hungry crappie. When you find these areas look for isolated stumps, and sunken trees, also fish around the perimeter of this area, and any significant drop off in depth may hold crappie.
#3 One of the best and easiest crappie fishing locations to find is a isolated stump or sunken tree. You should never pass up one of these areas if you are fishing from the bank or fishing from a boat, because these areas always hold a good population of crappie.
#4 If you live in the south never pass up Cypress trees because they will definitely hold good populations of crappie sometime during the year. These areas are very productive for catching crappie. In the spring time fish the cypress located in shallow shoreline areas. In the winter and summer fish the cypress trees that are located near deeper water, where the crappie have a easy access to the deeper water.
#5 Don’t overlook man made fish shelters and attractors. Check with your local state department of natural resources to find maps to these areas. Well folks Good Luck on your next crappie catching outing! Remember to use this crappie fishing information to your advantage and may you have many productive days of fishing.
Mark Fleagle is an Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. and has over 30 years of fishing experience who has written 100’s of useful fishing articles. Would you like to max out your catch on your next fishing trip? Blow your fishing buddies out of the water and get your bragging rights today! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” http://www.oldfishinghole.com
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Crappie live bait :Increase Your Crappie Catch Easy Steps Here!
Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets
How To Use Crappie Live Bait
How To Rig Crappie Minnows
It is very important to offer your crappie live bait presentation in just the right way so as to make the crappie get excited about hitting minnow bait presentation. Another Important element is how you hook your crappie minnow. The Minnow needs to be hooked so it swims freely while attached to the hook. Remember, you are trying to imitate a wounded minnow so a crappie will think it is an easy meal. I am going to show you how to make a crappie minnow rig that has proven successful for me. I also would like to introduce you to a little used crappie jigging technique that is rarely used these days.
How To Make A Dual Crappie Minnow Rig Using Three Way Swivels
You can purchase these rigs commercially but if you want to save a few bucks here’s a step by step procedure to make your own.
Step#1 You will need to have some 8-20lb fire line. For comparison, the dia. of the 20lb test is the same as 6lb mono-filament line.
Step#2 You will want your crappie minnow to swim as freely as possible so you will need to get some 3 ways swivels. The swivels will enable the minnow to swim in 360deg circles driving the crappie crazy!
Step#3 You will need some sinkers with enough weight to get your rig to the bottom. 1/4oz Egg or bass sinkers work nicely.
Step#4 Take some fire line off of your reel spool, or from the line container and cut 2 pieces 10” long, then tie a crappie hook to the end of each piece.
Step#5 Cut 2 pieces of fire line that are about 12” inches long.
Step#6 Open the bail on your fishing reel, make sure you have your fire line going through the eyelets, now pull enough line out so you can work freely while your assembling your crappie live bait rig. Pickup one of the 3 way swivels and tie it to your line that is coming from your fishing reel.
Step#7 Tie one of crappie hook leaders you made in step 4 to the open eye on the 3 way swivel that is 90 degrees clockwise. There should be one open eyelet when you get done, that is pointing strait downward.
Step#8 Tie one of the 12” pieces of fire line to the open eyelet of the first 3 way swivel. Then tie the other end to your second three way swivel. Make sure after you tie both ends that you have approximately 6” between the bottom eyelet of the first three way swivel and the top of the second 3 way swivel.
Step#9 Tie one of crappie hook leaders you made in step 4 to the open eye on the 3 way swivel that is 90 degrees clockwise. There should be one open eyelet when you get done, that is pointing strait downward.
Step#10 Pick up the last 12” inch piece of fire line you cut in step 5, then tie one end to the last remaining open eyelet of the second 3 way swivel. Now pick up your 1/4oz Egg or Bass sinker and tie it to the other end of the 12” line.
Step#11 Now to complete your crappie live bait rig, hook a crappie fishing minnow in front or the back of the dorsal fin on both hooks. By hooking the minnow this way it should make the minnow swim freely, as if he were wounded.
Here’s Your rarely used crappie jigging technique.
Look for a dead crappie minnow in your bucket or kill one and hook it to the left
or right gill. Next , you need to imitate a wounded or dying minnow so start jigging
the dead minnow up and down as you drop your line. This will cause the
minnow to flutter as if it were a dying or wounded minnow.
This Concludes my article about crappie live bait rigs please stay tuned for more
interesting articles about fishing.
Mark Fleagle is an Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. and has over 30 years of fishing experience who has written 100’s of useful fishing articles. Would you like to max out your catch on your next fishing trip? Blow your fishing buddies out of the water and get your bragging rights today! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” http://www.oldfishinghole.com
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The Crappie Minnow school: Amazing Special Minnow fishing Techniques
Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets
Crappie Minnow Setups
Crappies love live bait and they hunt for schools of minnows everyday for a food source. The following minnow rig is designed to imitate a small school of minnows that is intended for a hungry crappie in waiting. This small group of minnows simulates a minnow school and will get any hungry crappie’s attention.
It is very important to have the right fishing equipment when fishing for crappie and just the right rod and reel combo is very important. You will need a small spin cast reel that is rated for 4 to 6lb test line, and a rod that is over 8ft long. (a typical fly rod makes a excellent crappie rod. I personally use a set up that consist of a small spin cast reel that is rated for 6lb test line. The reel is loaded with a braided :fireline that is rated for 10lb test but has a dia. of 4lb test line. My rod is a two piece fly rod 12ft long that I purchased from bass pro shop.
Steps To Success The “Crappie Minnow” Rigging Technique
Step#1 Get yourself (3) three small three way swivels that work for crappie fishing.
Step#2 Get yourself some 3 small spinner blades 6 beads. They make excellent crappie minnow baits.
Step#3 You will need to find some bass or egg sinkers that are 1/4oz. You can find them at any department store fishing tackle area or any local bait shop.
Step#4 Get yourself some 10lb test fire line, this will have the dia. Of 4lb test, now load your spin cast reel.
Step#5 Cut (3) 16” inch pieces of fire line use a Palomar knot to tie on a no1,1/0,2/0 gold Aberdeen crappie hook to each piece of line on one end only. The length needs to end up at approximately 12 inches.
Step#6 Now you are going to cut (3) pieces of fire line each 8” inches long, they will connect between the three way swivels.
Step#7 Release enough fire line out of your rod and reel combo and run it through the eyelets on your rod. Make sure you have enough line extending past the eyelets to work comfortably when you are tying on your crappie fishing rig tackle.
Step#8 Tie on your first 3 way swivel so the eyelet is 90degrees from the top eyelet is on the left hand side.
Step#9 Round up (2) of the beads and (1) of the spinner blades from step five, and slide one bead up the 12” inch leader and then slide on a spinner blade spinner blade. Next slide a second bead up the 12” leader behind the spinner blade. Now tie the end opposite the Aberdeen gold crappie hook. And tie it to the 90deg eyelet that is on the left hand side.
Step#10 Now pick up one of your 8” connecting pieces of fire line and tie one end to last remaining open eyelet of the first three way swivel , then tie the other end to the top eyelet of the second three way swivel, but make sure the open eyelet 90degs from the top is on the right hand side before you tie. When you have completed the tying process you should have approximately 6 inches between the two eyelets.
Step#11 Round up (2) of the beads and (1) of the spinner blades from step five, and slide one bead up the 12” inch leader and then slide on a spinner blade spinner blade. Next slide a second bead up the 12” leader behind the spinner blade. Now tie the end opposite the Aberdeen gold crappie hook. And tie it to the 90deg eyelet that is on the right hand side.
Step#12 Now pick up one of your 8” connecting pieces of fire line and tie one end to last remaining open eyelet of the second three way swivel , then tie the other end to the top eyelet of the third three way swivel, but make sure the open eyelet 90degs from the top is on the right hand side before you tie. When you have completed the tying process you should have approximately 6 inches between the two eyelets.
Step#13 Round up (2) of the beads and (1) of the spinner blades from step five, and slide one bead up the last 12” inch leader and then slide on a spinner blade. Next slide a second bead up the 12” leader behind the spinner blade. Now tie the end opposite the Aberdeen gold crappie hook. And tie it to the 90deg eyelet that is on the right hand side.
Step#14 Now pick up the last 8” connecting pieces of fire line and tie one end to last remaining open eyelet of the Third three way swivel , and the other end to the 1/4oz bass sinker.
Great Job! You have now finished your first live bait crappie fishing rig!
Mark Fleagle is an Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. and has over 30 years of fishing experience who has written 100’s of useful fishing articles. Would you like to max out your catch on your next fishing trip? Blow your fishing buddies out of the water and get your bragging rights today! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” http://www.oldfishinghole.com
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A Crappie Catching Rig For The Masses: Amazing crappie fishing Tips Tells All!
Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets
If you make the decision to go crappie fishing there are so many ways to make crappie rigs that catch crappie.You will need different crappie catching rigs for the different seasons of the and for different fishing situations. You will find 8 crappie fishing tips below that we feel will work for just about any crappie rigging situation you will face.Our tips include many excellent rigging tips using artificial crappie jigs, and crappie minnows which are called “Missouri minnows” in many parts of the country.
TIP#1 Use a “spin cast” reel fishing with a light weight graphite rod with 6-12# test line. (this is a bit more then most guys use.. but it works.
Tip#2 Purchase some “Cajun Red 6 -12lb test line for your crappie fishing rig.(you can use higher test ratings with this line because red is almost invisible to crappie in the water.)
TIP#3 Get some “Missouri minnows” (use when you have the wives and kids in the boat) You don’t catch as many fish but it easier for the youngsters to use.
Tip#4 Use crappie fishing jigs with the head weighing from 1/64″ oz up to 1/4 ounce, but no bigger.
TIP#5 Use crappie fishing jigs.
Tip#5a use plastic crappie fishing jig parts commonly referred to as “tubes” in the color of green, yellow and white
Tip#5b Find a very small crappie jig that has a small minnow attached. Make sure the top is black and the bottom is silver. Also check to make sure the tail is very flexible so the jig will get plenty of action in the water.
Tip#5c Hair wrapped jig are hard to fine, but if you find one make sure you purchase it. They work great on your crappie fishing rig.
Tip#5d When you purchase jig heads look for yellow heads and black eyes. The tail should be black except for the tail should be yellow.
Tip#6 The colder the water gets the smaller the line test you should use. Also water can see better in colder water so use 4lb test line in colder water temperatures.
Tip#7 Use spring loaded floats (bobbers,corks) That can slide up and down the line so you can easily adjust your fishing depth.
Tip#8 Instead of using just one jig or hook on a line tie in 2 or three jigs about 10inches apart. You can place a weight below the jigs, but if that doesn’t work put the weight above the jigs.
Well we hope these great crappie catching rigs make your next crappie fishing trip a success! Good Luck!
Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About crappie fishing tip