A Crappie Killer!!

For some reason over the last couple years I’ve felt this was “MY SECRET” Crappie Killer!! THEN…..a friend of mine nearly pulled out the precise presentation.

I guess the word is out!!

Crappies love a light Flu-FLu in say the 1/16 to 1/32 oz. size. When Crappies nose through the shallow rock piles and pencil reeds hatches can be a big part of the diet. The Flu-Flu drops slowly and is devoured by big spawning Crappies. Many guys tip these with minnows or fish them naked.
I might suggest you try the “Wedgee” from Custom Jigs and spins as a plastic trailer on the Flu-Flu. Your Flu-Flu presentation will be even more deadly!!

The Crappies LOVE IT Fellas!! Really no need to pick up that scoop of crappie minnows.

Fished under a light cork the Flu-Flu with Wedgee trailer is my personal Crappie KILLER!! I love the Black and Yellow and pink and white. Still Browns and such are also DEADLY!!

I’ve included a quick picture of what your presentation should look like when laced up properly.

Rumor has it this precise presentation is also deadly on big bluegill.

Flu-Flus’s
http://www.customjigsandspins.com/icefishing/fluflu.html

Wedgees
http://www.customjigsandspins.com/icefishing/softbody/wedgee.html

L ooks good, I’ll be using that this weekend at my secret spot!

Though I’d guess 90% of fisherman will continue to target spawning crappies with either Minnows or a jig and minnow imitation; I would wager a bet that the vast diet of a spawning Crappie consists of emerging bug hatches. The surface temps that trigger the spawn also just happen to trigger bug hatches.

Many anglers think tipping a hair jig adds to the overall presentation when in reality it possibly deters from the bug hatch you can match. I often refer to it as the fisherman who just isn’t convinced yet!! He wants to use a hair jig….Yet doesn’t want to get away from MEAT!! This is much the same as a guy that uses a plastic trailer on his Walleye jigs BUT tips them with a minnow? If you trust it……TRUST IT!!

Dare to be slightly different from the masses while catching both more and bigger fish. OH…You also get to save the early morning minnow runs.

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L ooks good, I’ll be using that this weekend at my secret spot!

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Good Luck!! Nothing more fun that watching a small cork dart to the side or vanish in front of you. I’ve always said the hardest Crappie to catch is the FIRST!! The rest almost jump in the box somedays. When fishing this presentation Pop it slighty and let it sit. Pop and sit….Then drag and let it sit. The Crappies will quicky tell you precisely what they want!!

I imagine the stage of the bug hatch is what dictates the presenation that works most effective. If the bugs are hatching and emerging from the mud I would imagine the popping motion is the Trigger. If bugs are swimming through the reeds I would imagine a slow drag would be the trigger. These are things we don’t know……So try them all!! Remember to slightly bend out the hook on the Flu-Flu to increase hooking percentages.

This is all true, I need to gain a little confidence in that category, I feel the need to use “meat” on my lure, such as a jig for crappies or ice fishing situations. Great advice again!

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This is all true, I need to gain a little confidence in that category, I feel the need to use “meat” on my lure, such as a jig for crappies or ice fishing situations. Great advice again!

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Corey,

There are times truly when live bait will give you the advantage…….NO DOUBT. Still there are also times when live bait hinders the action or detracts from the bug hatch simulation your truly trying to match. Fly fisherman could teach us all quite a bit.

I suggest anglers leave the live bait at home in certain situation and teach themselves to catch fish without it. You MAY just find you not only become a better angler, but also end up catching both more and bigger fish. LOTS of pressured fisheries have the larger panfish quite educated to the Jig and Minnow or hook and minnow. A nice presenation like this will fool a few “BIGGIES”

UP HERE…….They have been seeing it for years……Still I don’t think I’ve educated them all, but I’m trying.

If you examine the stomache contents of spring time Crappies you’ll find thick black goop.
That’s the remains of insects, not minnows. The first concentrated food source of the year
are insect hatches (nymphs) and that happens in shallow, mud bottom bays. The water warms
up there first and that activates the insect hatches. The Crappies are not in there spawning
but eating! I catch Crappies all summer long on nymphs as well as Sunfish. Chris is right,
a fly rod is absolute MURDER on Spring time panfish. I can present a small fly that looks just
like a nymph. I can also fish two flies on the same leader and give them a choice. Once
the water warms up and the fish set up deeper the fly rod becomes less effective because it’s
hard to fly fish deeper than 10 feet or so. Small jigs or plastics Fished with a spinning rod
probably do a reasonable job of imitating insects.

Chris I have to teach you how to fly fish. I have yet to be outfished up there in the Spring time by anyone using live bait.

Rootski

I like what I see there chris last weekend on river crappies wouldn’t hit a jig drop a big fat walleye minnow in on slip bobber and lights out I’m going to put this tactic to the test

I’ve used this setup for the last 3-4 seasons to hammer crappies w/o bait…and I insist on re-tying them on to my guests’ rods when they show up to chase Crappies with me sporting the old standby slip rig.

Seeing this post makes me feel confident about my instincts, but not nearly as much as seeing Mr. Ganrud pass by our boat to fish nearby!

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Great report and nice slab Chris. Gotta love those Flu-Flu’s!

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Thanks Ryan!! Get after those slabs bro.

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Great report and nice slab Chris. Gotta love those Flu-Flu’s!

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Thanks Ryan!! Get after those slabs bro.

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If you examine the stomache contents of spring time Crappies you’ll find thick black goop.
That’s the remains of insects, not minnows. The first concentrated food source of the year
are insect hatches (nymphs) and that happens in shallow, mud bottom bays. The water warms
up there first and that activates the insect hatches. The Crappies are not in there spawning
but eating! I catch Crappies all summer long on nymphs as well as Sunfish. Chris is right,
a fly rod is absolute MURDER on Spring time panfish. I can present a small fly that looks just
like a nymph. I can also fish two flies on the same leader and give them a choice. Once
the water warms up and the fish set up deeper the fly rod becomes less effective because it’s
hard to fly fish deeper than 10 feet or so. Small jigs or plastics Fished with a spinning rod
probably do a reasonable job of imitating insects.

Chris I have to teach you how to fly fish. I have yet to be outfished up there in the Spring time by anyone using live bait.

Rootski

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Your information is “SPOT ON” Rootski. Thus the reason my above pictured presentation is often so deadly. Someday I’ll take up the art of fly fishing……..NO QUESTON!!!

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I like what I see there chris last weekend on river crappies wouldn’t hit a jig drop a big fat walleye minnow in on slip bobber and lights out I’m going to put this tactic to the test

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Give it a shot Buzzer!! Don’t be afraid to play around with different color combinations on your body of water.

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I’ve used this setup for the last 3-4 seasons to hammer crappies w/o bait…and I insist on re-tying them on to my guests’ rods when they show up to chase Crappies with me sporting the old standby slip rig.

Seeing this post makes me feel confident about my instincts, but not nearly as much as seeing Mr. Ganrud pass by our boat to fish nearby!

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LOL!! Maybe I’m looking for you!!

I had some brown Flu-FLu’s a couple years ago that worked awesome as well. Still the Pink and white and Yellow and black for some reason are simply Crappie Candy. The add of the Wedgee tail really completes the look and gives it the “SHIZZLE”.

Hey Chris,

Have you ever tried experimenting with berkley gulp 1″ minnows on those flu-flu’s at all, or tried the 2 1/2″ version on something like a 1/16 oz head? Just curious if it would work on Rainy at all. Does the trick around here

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Hey Chris,

Have you ever tried experimenting with berkley gulp 1″ minnows on those flu-flu’s at all, or tried the 2 1/2″ version on something like a 1/16 oz head? Just curious if it would work on Rainy at all. Does the trick around here

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Hi Jake,

The presentation I’ve illustrated matches a bug hatch. Plastics in the minnow form will also have varying degrees of success. The most lethal for me during the spawn cycle has been a Bug/Larvea imitation.