The majority of crappie fishermen grow up learning classic crappie fishing techniques, while enjoying cool spring mornings with low fog cover that lingers along the surface before burning away after rigging corks with crappie minnows or crappie jigs and fishing the brush piles and then waiting for a bite.
Recently, we have been testing out a new crappie fishing technique, cankbaits for crappie. The shad start running the shorelines in large schools offering slab crappie a good meal in the fall. During this time, using small crankbaits that look like shad can lure in slabs off the structure as well as crappie that are chasing the schools.
The best crankbaits to use are the ones that resemble a shad. Many times i have found that lipless work best. Although smaller crankbaits work well, I switched to using large crankbait when running large shad, with good results. Color is a subject of debate while fishing for crappie. Some folks use shad colors with various crawfish patterns and different colors as well to get good results. Crappie seem drawn to chartreuse as well, even while using crankbaits.
Shad tend to run shallow while running the shorelines, meaning big slab crappie lurking at brush piles or suspended off the shoreline awaiting their next meal will use the shoreline to save their energy and not have to chase schools out in open waters. This is why it is a good idea to use shallow running crankbait. There are exceptions of course, some individuals use deep runners with good results in summertime – but when the crappie are up on the timber, shallow is best.
The best way to catch these solitary big slabs is by covering a lot of water. You can catch them with a cork and a minnow during the spawn, while the shad are in the shallows. However, to catch the larger fish with crankbait rigged on an ultralight spinning reel using 4 to 6 pound test line is ideal. Of course, you can catch smaller fish as well as large crappie with crankbait.
Target the visible structure along the shorelines by pitching your crankbait as close to the shore as you can. Many strikes take on the first twitch of the crankbait about a foot off the shoreline. You crankbait should be close to the shore, since these crappie target shallow running shad and then expect to catch them right up to the bank. Fishing off a large log, during the last season, I caught thirty large crappies; however, my crankbait was about a foot from the shoreline. The crappie were waiting just below the waters surface, out of sight and hit the crankbait as soon as I moved it along, however if the bait landed a foot or two further out in the water, I got no action at all. Catching thirty large crappies from one pile of brush is common during the spring; however getting this kind of catch in the fall was incredible. I think the crappie were just simply following the shad school along the shoreline and waiting to make their move on the others and that the log offered a great angle for my ambushing them unaware.
Covering a lot of water is essential since, generally crappies are solitary creatures. They tend to stake out their very own ambush points and they scatter all over the area. Simply cruise the shoreline, casting along at every rock, log, stump or stake bed you find. Allow the crankbait to float along for a few moments before applying the first twitch. Simply use a twitch and then allow the bait to sit for a few more seconds before pulling the crankbait back in several inches below the surface of the water.
Sometimes, a fish may strike and you do not know it. At first reeling in a big slab may feel similar to reeling in a stick, so ready you for setting the hook. Slinging crankbait for crappie is fun and different, therefore when you want to try some new crappie fishing techniques, give crankin for crappie a try on your next fishing trip.
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