Ice fishing for crappies

What’s everyone’s favorite tips for catching crappies through the ice?

Here are a few of mine:
I almost never use live bait, but there are times when live bait (small minnows) will produce big numbers. I have found minnows to work best either early in the ice fishing season or late just as the ice is going out. This may only hold true for the areas I fish that tend to be the Mississippi River backwaters. My lure of choice is one that will swim horizontally – like a Ratso, Rat Finke, or a Purist or Rembrandt (you need to tie a tight knot for these.) Once in a while the crappies will show a preference for a small ice jig tipped with a waxie, so if your not connecting with a presentation – try something else. Something new to me this year that seems to work very well is Cheena Bait, which is actually sealskin that you cut into small strips and hang on a small jig.
Crappies tend to be off the bottom and often up fairly high in the water column. They also tend to like an offering that is descending. I usually start jigging my offering just below the ice and work toward the bottom in short drops – so, it’s jiggle jiggle jiggle pause drop, jiggle jiggle jiggle pause drop. The drop is only 4 inches. You can usually fish fairly aggressively for crappies and they will come from a long ways off once they spot your offering, and then will hit it out of reaction more so than hunger.
The bite from crappies varies a lot from one day to the next – from very light to very aggressive. I have had crappies break my line from hitting it like a locomotive! The use of a spring bobber will help increase your catch. A crappie will often hit from under the bait, so a spring bobber may not move much. A slight lift of your rod or the action of your jigging will help you see if the spring bobber bends downward. Set the hook immediately if you see your bobber move, as crappies tend to totally inhale a bait. Sometimes you will see your line moving sideways. This happens when the crappie has inhaled your bait and is swimming away. If you see your line moving, set the hook!
If fishing in water more than 5 ft., a vexilar or other electronics will really pay off big when fishing for crappies. I usually see crappies as suspended fish and will try to put my offering just above them and then use a steady slow jigging action.
One other offering not mentioned previously is using larger lures like jigging rapalas or tube jigs. I have had good success with this type of larger lure when fishing deeper water. I have actually caught crappies on 3 inch jigging raps!
As always, versatility is required to catch crappies on a consistent basis. Sometimes it seems you can only catch them early or late in the day. Experiment with different offerings and you will probably learn a few new tricks for catching those slabs.

Good Fishing,
Mike

you can actually catch crappies through the ice??? ……. could have fooled me

…..i’m just joshin, i believe i’ve heard it’s possible to catch them things through the ice…….in fact, i actually caught one this year…….which sadly, is more than i caught last year .

unless you’re fishing in just a few feet of water, it’s tough with out a vex. i’m not saying it can’t be done, but i’ve never got them to go for me. i think i could use some lessons from you great crappie getters.

For crappies through the ice I would have to say a small ice fishing jig and a waxie or a small minnow. Catching them in the darkness of an ice fishing house so you can see the fish is like fish TV. Or with a Vexilar seeing where the crappie is and being able to see your jig on the Vexilar and moving the jig up or down to the level of where the crappie is like fish TV too. Fun! But you know, the titles of these threads are really starting to get to me. Bluegills, Crappies, Rain [which means higher temps] Springtime, etc. I am really getting the itch for some spring crappie fishing. I’ve not done it the past few years and really miss it. The good o’l fashion bobber fishing with a nice big crappie on the end of your line. Watching that bobber sink and the action begins. Casting that tiny jig and plastic and all of a sudden there is some weight on your line. Plain o’l good fishin like that can make for some really nice memories and alot of fun. Casting a worm on a hook or better yet a B-Fish-N Tackle ringworm on a real light jig or on a hook with a piece of split shot 18 inches above the hook and bam a fist hits your hook and ”fish on.” Now we’re talking fun time. Now we’re talkin what springtime is for. Now we’re talkin about the love for fishin. Come on spring!

Thanks, Bill

I’m with ya Bill. I left my boat up north last fall and I’ll just have to test things out when I go up there to retreive it. Make sure the mice didn’t chew the wires….the motor is running well….the cooler still fits in the boat. I haven’t been on a spring crappie trip for a long time and just yesterday I was starring at the calendar trying to pick out a good weekend to get the boat and get out! Come on Spring!!!

I hear Mike at Hooked On Fishing has a very huge supply of ice fishing jigs in all different colors and styles for catching those crappies you guys are talking about. Word is starting to leak out that ice fishing jigs work just as good in the spring and summer months too. Nows the time to stock up before they get put away til next year.
Thanks, Bill

I learned the lesson the hard way that ice fishing jigs work ”very well” in open water too. One nice hot summer day I had my youngest daughter and oldest grandaughter in the boat on a lake and we were fishing right next to two elderly gentlemen in a small boat that was anchored. We used worms, minnows, small pieces of worm and anything else I could think of but didn’t get a bite. The two gentlemen next to us were pulling in bluegills after bluegills left and right. They were fishing with ice fishing jigs and waxies and hauling in fish like crazy in the middle of the hot summer with cold winter lures. And the more I thought about it afterwards, why not. The fish eat them up like crazy in the winter so why not also in the summer. Same fish, same appitite, so why not the same lures and bait. The more I think about it the more I see it as a no brainer. Only makes sense. The fish made it very clear to me what they wanted and what they only wanted. So why not give them what they really want. Their mouths are not any bigger in the summer than they are in the winter. They love small ice fishing jigs with waxies so give them what they eat. Thats why I say ”now” is the time to stock up on the ice fishing jigs at Hooked On Fishing as that is what catches fish ”all year round” and we need to get them before they get put away for the year to make room for the open water stuff. [now I am smart enough to know that these jigs ”are” open water jigs too.] And the same goes for crappies too. Thanks, Bill

My go to bait for winter crappies is a glow in the dark teardrop jig with a minnow or waxie. For very agressive fish, I like to use a silver Swedish pimple or a buckshot rattle spoon. I use a very small teardrop or a small horizontal jig when they are biting light. Overall, I use waxies way more than any other bait. I also have caught many fish on a deadstick with a small minnow. I like to put it just a couple feet from my jigging hole. I always set it about 6″ above the top of the school of crappies. This year I started using the ice buster bobbers. They are great for crappies because if the fish swims up, the bobber will tip over on its side and you can set the hook.

I will be going after these little buggers a lot more this spring. I was wondering if anyone ever uses a fly rod for spring crappies. I catch bluegills and bass at my cabin with some very small ice jigs on the end of a fly rod. I am fairly good at casting and the fly rod makes the fight a lot more fun.

Thank you for the crappie ice fishing advice fellas. I have no problem admitting that I have had on hell of a tough time ice fishing the local waters from crappies. I’ve been out to Chester 4 or 5 times including yesterday late afternoon and have had minimal results. In fact, my only highlight yesterday afternoon was setting the hook on my only strike, feeling the fish pull for a couple seconds, watching my rod snap in half, then finding my line and pulling up my teardrop only to find the hook completely straightened out. It must have been a bass.

Anyway, I’ve have had some measure of success in the open water at CW since I started fishing there last year but I have absolutely struggled this winter!!

Is it time yet where you think I can start patroling the ice near where I had killed them last spring in the open water?

Although I have fished all over the lake on the ice and open water the only winter crappie victories have been just around the corner from the left side of the dam. Where I had success in the open water is along the west bank startingfrom the opposite side of the first pier on the eastside. That’s where I was yesterday in the late afternoon when my equiptment was trashed. The water looked really rusty colored and dirty at least on that portion of the lake. I don’t recall seeing that on other areas of the lake and maybe it’s because of the leaves from fall and more timber in the water and also maybe because I’ve been at Foster Arends the last couple of weeks where the water is crystal clear. By the way, I suck over there too and couldn’t catch a trout if my life depended on it.

I don’t think I’m retarded when it comes to ice fishing CW but my confidence couldn’t be any lower that it is right now. I will take your previous advice and try to incorporate it however if you have any more bones to throw me it would be much appreciated! All I can offer in return is helping you golfers with your swings.

I’m going out to CW again Sunday afternoon so I guess if there anyway someone could point my pathetic rear to a spot on the lake it would be great.

Thanks,

Ken

Thanks Crappie Tom. I guess I’m not to far off directionally at this point as yesterday I was in 15-24 feet of water staying to the outside edges of the timber which is similar in depth and structure to the area by the dam that I actually managed to land a fish this winter. However, are you thinking even deeper than that?

Has the time of day been a factor? Is anybody catching fish after dark?

Sorry for the 20 questions……

Ken

CrappieTom: Your advice lead to some success for me at CW on Sunday. Thanks! It was interesting that there was never more than 3 people(including me) on the lake at one time all afternoon and evening up to 7pm.

A Ratso tipped with a waxie and a teardrop tipped with a minnow did some damage.

Ken