Ice fishing crappies

I’m fishing about 22 feet of water for crappies the water is a little dirty but not terrible I’m wondering what color spoon or jig I should use and what size and kind of spoon or jig

Sometimes you have to experiment to see what they want. One thing that surprises me is how big of a bait a Crappie will clobber. I usually start with a jig and plastic, and then end up with small spoon. The smallest sized Slender Spoon with spikes on the treble has been working really well for me. Try different presentations, and good luck!

SR

Try a few colors but definitely use one that glows after dark or even in stained/dirty water. Make sure you flash it every 10 minutes or so to keep it glowing. I’m a big fan of the Northland Forage Minnow Spoon in Glow Rainbow (1/32). The tungsten Sliver Spoon is another favorite. The Demon has one of the best glows & has been a classic crappie jig for many years. Make sure you tip them with a Eurolarvae or waxie. I’ve also used Berkley Crappie Nibbles for years & it’s a great bait to tip your jigs & spoons with.

vern wrote:

I’m a big fan of the Northland Forage Minnow Spoon in Glow Rainbow (1/32). The Demon has one of the best glows & has been a classic <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>crappie jig for many years.

+1
on the suggestions. but those 2 are my go to for crops. i like to use the forage minnow for my jiggin rod esp if im hole hoping and a demon glow on my bobber rod.
quite often they’ll come in to check out the jig and hammer the bobber rod

i also like to use a buckshot 1/8 with a drop rig, tipped with euros or minnow head

Northland Forage Minnow Spoon in 1/16oz or 1/32oz. Green, red, or orange are always my first color choices. The smallest Lindy rattling flyer spoons always work great too. Most of the time I will tip them with 5-6 spikes or a Clam Maki plastic. I don’t do much deep basin fishing anymore though. The biggest and most active crappie around the metro are in 10ft or less…

I’ve had success with jigging raps. Chrome works well in darker water.

I like to start with a small Horizontal Jig like the Ratso, usually with a Pink/White color combo. Switch colors if that doesn’t work. If still no success I will go to a small spoon type Little Cecil. From there maybe a bigger spoon type or a small Slab Rap.

If all of those fail I usually have a Tip Down or two setup with Crappie minnows. When the bite gets tough they usually come through.

I know it’s not a popular opinion, but color is the last thing I worry about. I always start with a VMC chandelier jig. That thing has been money for me. Works great to get down to deeper waters and love the action it has with a minnow head or even a full minnow. Also the small treble hook is great for hook sets. Rarely miss unless they are just tapping it.

I always start with one of those, but if they are picky, and sometimes they are, I downsize to just a jig and a minnow. Then if I have to, a jig and plastic.

I always start aggressive and downsize if necessary. Try going out with a few buddies and all try different things. Makes it much faster to see what’s working that day than just by yourself. That’s how I go about it and I’ve had a lot of success so far this year.

Oh, and always, don’t be afraid to drill holes and move. Even if you are marking fish and can’t get them to bite, move to a different hole that has fish and see if those are more aggressive.

I had crappies the other day holding to the bottom in 15′ of water, only way to get them was using a No 4 chrome and blue ripping rap.