When you're ready to catch some crappie, here are the five best lures available.
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Crappie fishing is not only one of the most fun undertakings that anglers can have, but it has evolved immensely over recent years. Now there are crappie tournaments, crappie-specific fishing gear, and of course lures and baits meant to attract and catch them.
Crappie fishermen rely on these gear choices and tactics, and eventually the best crappie lures will set themselves apart.
Most crappie anglers know that live minnows or juicy nightcrawlers often do the trick. For those that want to trick some of these great eating fish without the use of live bait, there are a good variety of options, and these five are right at the top.
Every crappie angler has their favorite lure that will fill a bucket with slab-sides during the right time of year, but these proven baits seem to do the trick across the board. Crappie can certainly be fickle; in many cases, they seem to only want a lure of a specific size and shape. And yet other times it seems like you can throw your car keys at them and limit out in a minute.
Crappie baits continue to hit the market and gain attention, but with the track record that these five have, it's hard to dispute.
5. Tube Bait
When Bobby Garland introduced the original Gitzit tube lure in 1964 out of his home in Utah, he couldn't have anticipated the long term effect it would have on the fishing industry. Brands like Strike King, Berkley, Poor Boys, Z-Man, Karl's, and Zoom hopped on the bandwagon and began manufacturing these famous baits, but it's the Gitzit that originated the design.
They come in a range of sizes and a wide selection of color combinations to satisfy every fisherman (and nearly every crappie). The best jig sizes associated with the tube bait start small at 1/64 ounce, and you can move up to about 1/8 of an ounce for the best results.
4. Blakemore Road Runner
The original Blakemore Road Runner has been a staple among crappie fishermen since its inception over 50 years ago. Over the years the company has changed hands, but the model remains virtually the same.
With its wide variety of colors and body configurations, the Road Runner has staked its claim as one of the best there is when it comes to hooking big crappies.
3. Mepps Black Fury
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It's not easy to choose between this and the Mepps Rooster Tail, but the Black Fury has been a time honored way of catching everything from bass to crappies since it was introduced and it keeps right on going. You could honestly list this one as simply "inline spinner" and be done with it.
The Black Fury spinner has the look and the feel of a bait that crappie can't seem to resist and generations of anglers would agree.
2. Rapala Original Minnow
Both the original floating and the sinking version of these baits has hooked up with more crappies than almost any other lure. Between the wounded minnow action and the realistic finish, these baits have been responsible for catching multiple record crappies.
Stick to the smaller sizes- 2-3/4 inch or smaller to garner some crushing strikes from hungry slabs wherever you are.
1. Marabou Jig
There is more than one veteran crappie angler that can attest to the fact that these famous jigs are responsible for catching more crappies than any other offering besides live bait. The best part is that they are inexpensive, come in a wide variety of colors, and are easy to fish.
Lures That Catch Crappie
There are so many lures, methods, and techniques to catching crappies that entire societies and forums have been formed from it all. It really comes down to what your preference is, where you fish, and the time of year.
Grubs, crappie jigs, shad imitations, crankbaits, soft plastics, and other brush pile dredging fishing lures all have their moments when crappie fishing. When it comes to panfish fishing, many baitfish imitations have a good crossover for success.
For some it may have to be in a chartreuse pattern, and for others darker colors work the best, especially in clear water. Vertical jigging is a great way to catch fish like the crappie, as is trolling or drift fishing, and these lures can all do the trick.
Tackle boxes everywhere have at one time or another had a few of these choices at the ready to take crappies across the nation. Whether they're fishing shallow water or targeting beds during the spawn, anglers know these can flat out catch fish.
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