Crappie fishing techniques and lure for late summer

I am trying to catch some crappies around this time of the year. I am new to crappie fishing and wondering what type of bait and lure to use also what structure should I target?

This time of year they have pulled away from the weeds and will be on the first or second break from the weedline. Use your electronics to find them they will be suspended

What are you fishing….river or lake? Makes a lot of difference right now.

I am fishing lakes and will they be out side the weeds with some of the blue gills?

Bluegills will suspend over deep water at times along the outside of breaks and deep, tall-standing weeds but will also play in weeds where bugs are chased and eaten. Storms can chase gills into deep weeds. So will really warm water and high skies.

As mentioned, your crappies will like those primary breaks where they’ll suspend very close to the depth of the break in deeper adjacent water. If you are fishing a body of water with very clear water, crappies might be a low light bite….period. Try very early mornings, or very late in the afternoon/evening.

Thermoclines are something to watch for when crappie fishing. Often times you can find numbers of crappies scattered across the very top edge of a thermocline. If they are tight to the point of temperature transition, they maybe sluggish….those higher up slightly will be more active and will probably hit better.

If you are marking fish and using a jig/plastic or a hair jig that hangs horizontally, like most will, and they don’t want to hit, try an ice fishing tactic and go to a float a split-shot right on top of a plain straight Aberdeen hook and thread your plastic so it hangs straight up and down. Actually an ice jig and plastic like one of Custom Jigs and Spins Ratso lures in the larger sizes would be a dynamite approach. A Nuggie bait threaded on a plain hook so the tail hangs straight down would be another ice bait that will work very well. When fishing a vertical bait like this, let the waves/wind do the moving and maybe add a waxie to the hook or use just a waxie and no plastic.

The dead of winter and the dead of summer are periods when panfish and crappies can be fished in identical manners and often times the baits are the same too. The coldest water and the warmest water will make these fish lethargic at times and as this happens changing gears to get them means fish

We have found them over the weeds in 12-16 fow using a 16 oz. jig and tube bodies. We slow troll jigs until we get a hit and then sit/drift and cast.

They will also hit jointed shad raps and hornets trolled outside the weed line. Or just drag around a jig n minnow once you see them on the graph.

fish-them-all wrote:

They will also hit jointed shad raps and hornets trolled outside the weed line. Or just drag around a jig n minnow once you see them on the graph.

I like pulling cranks to find them, then slowing down with jigs and plastics to target them. Cover water till you find those suspended schools. Once you match what you’re seeing on the graph to the crappies you’re pulling over with crankbaits, it’s alot easier to do it.

It’s amazing how many crappies I’ve caught on #5 shad raps over the years, even spinner/crawler combos when targeting walleyes.

Especially in lakes with roughies, having an underwater camera to drop through some of those thick schools (should clarity permit) can really save you some time.

Joel

What kind of crank bait would you recommend? I am stuck at work for another 11 days so I will have some time to gather more info an order tackle.

Read “Crankbait Crappies”, about 5 or 6 threads right below this one in the same section.

Blue/white or fire tiger shad raps and hornets

I’ve had great success trolling those ultralight shad raps for panfish and walleye. I’ve also caught a fair share of bass trolling them. My best colors are the firetiger and blue chrome. Just another option…

With the wind and cooler temps pulling water temperatures down nicely, now would be an excellent time to consider up-sizing your crappie baits. Many times dropping water temps will put crappies on a serious feed bag and smaller baits can get you smaller fish. Try using plastic baits in the 2 1/2″ to 3″ range on light jig heads. Minnow shaped baits and fluke style baits have been the best for me. Its not always action, just a larger profile. Color can be a real narrow window now too….just something to think about. My fall waters are stained as a rule and I like more natural colored baits over brighter colored ones.

Vertical structure really can come into play now too. Pilings, submerged trees standing up in the water are a couple of areas to look at seriously. When in a boat, fish this vertical stuff from the top down….meaning fish high to start and gradually work your way to the bottom. This way fish holding higher in the water column won’t disturb those deeper down when you bring them in. Wood standing in 20 feet of water might take me 1 half hour to fish from top down and if I get into fish at one certain depth I wear that out before going any deeper.