What bait for crappie

[10point]

Hi All, not a lot of ice fishing experience. Have just fished for bluegill with bee moth. What do you guys use for crappie this time of year? Have only fished for them in soft water.

[Bronzeback5]

I prefer red spikes when ice fishing

[barehook]

Been catching more with white spikes than anything else

[Fishslayer81]

#14-16 Ice fly tipped with a chartreuse tail. You can check my thread out for a pic. I have caught several limits of crappie this year on that setup. I think my days of using bait are over. 

[river_scum]

most nights a hook and minnows are all you need. set out 2 dead sticks with minnows and jig a third rod. if your lucky the bite will force you back to 2 rods. if you find them looking and not taking, switch to a smaller option. i turn to gill jigs and beemoths/spikes.

[popnfish]

wax worms have been working better for me lately

[kesdadddy7597]

#14-16 Ice fly tipped with a chartreuse tail. You can check my thread out for a pic. I have caught several limits of crappie this year on that setup. I think my days of using bait are over. 

I have been meaning to ask what those tails are? 

[Boomer]

I have caught crappie on regular tube jigs even.  Remember, crappie like to suspend and take the bite on the way up. If you are jogging and your jig does not drop right back down, set the hook!

[IceBucky]

Frosty mini jig tipped with minnow. Too dead sticks with jig and minnow or #18 treable

[High Tide]

River scum has the best option for the most consistent bite. Once you start talking artificial, it really depends on the BOW. If the northern guys fished their bugs down here in the shad holding reservoirs, they wouldn't fare well. Just like the southern folk going up north working tubes/plastics, kastmasters spoons, and jigging raps. If your fishing clearer water crappie rely on sight, more so then murky water crappie, that rely on vibration, sound, and smell. That's the cliff notes, but minnows are something most reservoir and natural lake crappie will eat... Especially if they're white crappie!

[river_scum]

I have been meaning to ask what those tails are?

they look like the wedge tails i use. i glue one on all my jigging raps. the tail will undulate even when lure is still. i feel its a good trigger sometimes.

[frozengator]

River scum has the best option for the most consistent bite. Once you start talking artificial, it really depends on the BOW. If the northern guys fished their bugs down here in the shad holding reservoirs, they wouldn't fare well. Just like the southern folk going up north working tubes/plastics, kastmasters spoons, and jigging raps. If your fishing clearer water crappie rely on sight, more so then murky water crappie, that rely on vibration, sound, and smell. That's the cliff notes, but minnows are something most reservoir and natural lake crappie will eat... Especially if they're white crappie!

I agree 100%  I have been places where I do real good with minnows for crappie, and may only get one or two off of aritificial. I have started useing those rubber toy balls things, got a whole bag of them. Chartruse color. I want to try them out. Caught lots of gills off of them. I went to the PTO seminar and Brikker poles is another thing I would like to try too.

[Da_Roc]

  Gold jig with Red plastic glow tails espically now since under the ice its even dark during the day.  Plastics work great.  If they just start bitting the tails trim the tails shorter a bit until they start swallowing it.

[Jigmup]

Whatever I throw down the hole lately

[cylegreen]

wax worms have been working better for me lately

agreed.  i use a #6 glow jig.  can use one size smaller, too, but the key is to keep that thing glowing!  no sinkers.  2-4lb test.

[Dylan-ICEFISHING]

Pink spikes white jig