Crappie: Minnows or Jigs?

June 27, 2008 by: Josh

Question: Crappie Tamer Mozingo from Asheville, NC asks: “Jigs or Minnows?”

Dear Crappie Tamer: Deciding to use jigs or minnows is one of the inevitable questions of most crappie enthusiasts. As with most fishing questions, I would say it depends. The 3 most important factors I consider are: water color, weather, and preference.

Water Color
Clear water - When the water is clear, you want to get as close to natural color and movement as possible. I find that this is the best time to use minnows. Trolling or fishing the brush areas provides excellent bounties. If you use jigs, try using dark colors.

Tinted water- After a hard rain or muddy conditions, this is a great time to bust out the jigs. In really dark water, I sometimes add a small spinner to the jig. This provides some vibration and noise, when the crappies have a harder time locating food. Try using bright colors and colors with sparkles. My favorite is the chartreuse jig or yellow/pink twirly tail.

Weather
Weather conditions are the most challenging to me, because I find crappie to be erratic. If it is cloudy/rainy I usually progress from light to darker colors and find out what they are hitting. If it is sunny, I love to use minnows or dark color baits.

Preference
Depending on how much time you have to fish and your fishing location, I take into consideration the following Pros and Cons of both jigs and minnows. Jigs - You can cover more ground by casting. Ease of tackle, you can carry into remote locations. No minnow bucket needed. You can change colors based on water color. Minnows - Natural food that crappie are accustomed to. They provide real action. You have to worry about keeping them alive. You may have to go out of your way to purchase or catch them.

Overall, I would say these 3 factors probably provide about 75% of return. 25% is just whatever the crappie feel like biting. The best solution, which has paid off in a winning tournament a few years back, is to use both! One person fishes with minnows, one person with jigs. You can purchase my favorite jigs below and also check out my crappie tackle page. Now go out there and reel in those slabs!!!

Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series Squirmin’ Squirts - 1-1/2” - 20 Pack The soft, hollow body and fine, undulating tentacles dart through the water like a real minnow. Salt-impregnated. Length: 1-1/2”. 20 pack.

Blue Fox Big Crappie? Jig Check out the head design on this sharp new jig. About as real as it gets–and the “Living Tail” with flash fiber inserts creates the profile and flash of a crappie’s favorite meal, the shiner . Internal rattle; extra-sharp VMC hook.