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Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Crappies => Topic started by: Clintontwpspartan on Dec 16, 2008, 04:20 PM

Title: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: Clintontwpspartan on Dec 16, 2008, 04:20 PM
I think this Winter I want to try to target Crappies and I have a few questions . If you have any suggestions please feel free to pipe in.

1. Are they a minnow only species or can you catch them with grubs/wigglers, etc.?
2. Do you try to hunt them down on the ice or fish over good structure and wait for the school to come to you?
3. Are there preferred times during the day to fish?  Can you fish for them at night?

Thank you for all your help in advance and Merry Christmas! 
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: jer204 on Dec 16, 2008, 04:22 PM
I have my best luck with minnows.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Dec 16, 2008, 04:23 PM
i fish them at nite with minnows get um every time .theres other ways but ya cant go wrong with minnows find 1 find a bunch.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: Kziceman on Dec 16, 2008, 04:29 PM
...I have had the best luck with minnows....fish usually start biting at sunset and are active through the night. Crappie are usually suspended...early ice they are closer to the bottom since the water is warmer. A lantern close to the hole will help.

I have also had some luck using a Shrimpo, black or chartreuse,  with and without a wax worm.

Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: westt5 on Dec 16, 2008, 04:35 PM
i set up on an opening to a small bay on the lake as the sun is going down with minnows and when the crappie move into the small bay i hammer them
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: Vexilar Prowler on Dec 16, 2008, 04:42 PM
Crappie are known to be night biters, but that doesnt mean you wont catch them in the middle of the day.  They normally congragate in large schools, sometimes hundreds at once. Minnows are the gold standard for crappie fishing but they will eat waxies, spikes, mousies, pretty much anything.  They are also know to suspend in deeper water.  In mid winter they often congragate in the 30 to 40 deep basins of the lake.  Drill holes around the edge of the basisn and fish for a moment in each hole with a good sonar unit.  Most of the time you will be able to see fish on the screen before your bait enters the water.  Those marks are usually crappies.  When you find them, catch em untill the action slows, the continue around the deep basins to follow the school around.  Good luck! 8)
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: spartaman12 on Dec 16, 2008, 05:06 PM
maybe im just weird because i catch 99% of my crappie during the day... and on things other than minnows- minnows work but i dont bother with em
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: fishhead16 on Dec 16, 2008, 06:31 PM
Find them suspended at dark, get the latern next to the hole. I'll seach for them but once you get on them you can be on them for a while. Use minnows from a good bait shop, some minnows you get are on the verge of death, you want good active minnows. The crappie seem like they attack a good minnow.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: bigfjr on Dec 16, 2008, 07:16 PM
in my experience,,,,if i'm fishing during mid day, i like to jig a hali with either a waxie or butterworm, i start from the bottom and work my way up. for late afternoon into the night i like a jig tipped with a minnow, and after dark i have found it works pretty good to have a lantern next to your hole.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: CDJ on Dec 16, 2008, 07:45 PM
Fo those of you that use minnows, how do you hook them? Through the lips or the back?
Thanks for the info.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: quiter on Dec 16, 2008, 07:49 PM
Back
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: spaz on Dec 16, 2008, 07:52 PM
I hook mine through the eyes results in more hook ups.Learned this from an old timer.sorry dad ;D
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: CDJ on Dec 16, 2008, 07:54 PM
Never heard abot hookin through the eyes. I guess I will have to try that one. Thanks.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: fishhead16 on Dec 16, 2008, 08:26 PM
I hook them on the top inline with the fin,not through it.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: brokenline on Dec 16, 2008, 08:30 PM
what do the lanterns do?
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: icecaptain on Dec 16, 2008, 09:26 PM
what do the lanterns do?

Anytime your night fishing, whether it be for crappie/smelt or other species the idea behind the light shining down the hole is to draw in plankton.  This hopefully will draw in baitfish and in turn draw in more of the targeted specie of fish.

I too love fishing for crappie at night although you can catch them during the day too. They are usually most active after sunset and right before sunrise, but they can be active all night. I have found minnows work best either baited through back just behing dorsal fin or through the lips. Be sure to try other baits such as spikes/waxworms because they may sometimes work too.  A vexilar/marcum/other flasher will help to find them, especially if the are suspended. 

good luck fishing
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: Higgins on Dec 16, 2008, 09:42 PM
I think this Winter I want to try to target Crappies and I have a few questions . If you have any suggestions please feel free to pipe in.

1. Are they a minnow only species or can you catch them with grubs/wigglers, etc.?
2. Do you try to hunt them down on the ice or fish over good structure and wait for the school to come to you?
3. Are there preferred times during the day to fish?  Can you fish for them at night?

Thank you for all your help in advance and Merry Christmas! 

If you want to try them at night a submersible light works great.
Here is a good sight to buy one, and if you do get one it will double if you ever want to go for smelt.

http://www.fishinglightsetc.com/AquaStarcombo-IV.html (http://www.fishinglightsetc.com/AquaStarcombo-IV.html)
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: bigfjr on Dec 16, 2008, 10:00 PM
Fo those of you that use minnows, how do you hook them? Through the lips or the back?
Thanks for the info.
i've had good luck hooking through the front
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: 10FrozenToes on Dec 16, 2008, 11:22 PM
if you have the means take a sealed head light off a car and hook it up to a battery stick it in the hole same Principal as the lantern only 100's of time better. attracts fish from all over the lake.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: walleyesteve on Dec 17, 2008, 05:20 AM
 I've had good luck at sunrise as well as sunset. One of our best days was during a severe thunderstorm! The thunder was so loud the ice was shake'n! Crazy! They seem to be spooky, when they start bite'n be quiet as possible!
Later, Walleye Steve
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: its an addiction on Dec 17, 2008, 08:24 AM
I catch crappie every now and then while gill fishin in the day...But once that sun goes down it gets busy.  I like to deadstick a rod with small bobber and minnow in one hole, and the other i'll use a small jig, teardrop or marmooska usually with waxie, or mousie.  I like to hook my minnows PARALLEL TO THE DORSEL FIN with the point of the hook facing the head of the minnow.  It's known fact that crappie take the minnow head first the majority of the time, and with the hook pointing forward it results in more hook ups.  It is very important to have a sharp, sharp hook though, that way you can just barely hook the minnow and it stays very lively.  I was never able to decide on a particular way to hook a minnow, i'd do it through the lips, through the gills, through the dorsal, and then i was reading an infisherman article and they showed how to do it.  Ever since i switched to parallel with the dorsal i've definately had more hook ups, ice or open water. 

be careful not to set the hook too hard on the crappie, they are called paper m ouths for a reason. 
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: fishybill on Dec 17, 2008, 08:37 AM
Its an addiction is spot on.

Crappies will suspend very high after dark.  Sometimes only a couple feet below the ice. 
I'll deadstick and sometimes use a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow on a different rod.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: Richard Cr on Dec 17, 2008, 11:37 AM
For specks I like to use a very small (size 14 -18) treble hook with either wigglers or minnows. They are darn hard to find and a real treat to tie on- especially with COLD fingers but the fish don't get off. Last year on last ice we were catching specks in the 11"-13" range with chartreuse tear drops with two spikes about 1"down
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: zwalleye on Dec 17, 2008, 11:46 AM
Along with an underwater light.  I will suspend a jar or two liter bottle with minows in it to help attract and keep the crappie around my hole.  They'll see the minows in the bottle as a school of bait fish.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: addicted2ice on Dec 17, 2008, 12:54 PM
if you have the means take a sealed head light off a car and hook it up to a battery stick it in the hole same Principal as the lantern only 100's of time better. attracts fish from all over the lake.

Once I caught a 14" crappie 13' down in 67' of water on Hardy Pond, using a seal beam headlight outof a 79 chevy pickup.  It was the only thing we caught that night.  Thank god for the Vex or I would have never known he was there.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: Slabber on Dec 17, 2008, 04:19 PM
Crappies are my targeted fish year round. If you are starting out I suggest minnows. Its a simple setup and catches fish. I rarely ever use minnows and only in the winter use live bait. Summer is only artifical bait. Crappies are almost allways suspended and most people fish to low. Crappies will come up and hit your bait. I don't like to use minnows because it is more work for me to use. (Bringing the minnow bucket, keeping them alive, rebaiting my hook all the time, etc.) I mostly fish with spikes on a jig in the winter. I put a few on and that lasts for a while, which is important because the longer your hook is out of the water the less fish you'll catch. I hardly set the hook on them mostly just lift and reel. Don't horse them either, sometimes they give a decent fight. If using minnows I use small treble hooks. Almost never loose fish with them. Crappies are usually light bitters and mostly suck the bait in. I fish when I can, and the bite is on at different times of the day. I'm not sold on one time being better then the next. I have cought them in 8 FOW in the winter to 55 FOW. They are a great species of fish to catch and great eating also. Good luck.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: brokenline on Dec 17, 2008, 09:38 PM
i know its illegal to put a light in the water.. but would it be illegal to have the light pointing down to the hole in the perm house??
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: westt5 on Dec 17, 2008, 10:12 PM
where does it say no lights?
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: Higgins on Dec 17, 2008, 10:33 PM
where does it say no lights?

He is from Minnesota and I bet it's illegal there. But here in Michigan it's fine to use a submersible light.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: westt5 on Dec 17, 2008, 11:00 PM
never look at where he was from
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: zwalleye on Dec 18, 2008, 10:45 AM
I agree on great eating.  They sure do fry up nice, YUM YUM ;D
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: zwalleye on Dec 18, 2008, 10:46 AM
One more thing about crapie now a days.  It seems like most lakes have decent numbers and size fish.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: Clintontwpspartan on Dec 18, 2008, 04:05 PM
Thanks to everybody for all the advice I am hoping to get out this weekend if I am not snowed in!!
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: The Splash on Dec 20, 2008, 06:12 AM
 I fish crappie at night. Find deep water (preferbly a hole surrounded by shallow water) a dropoff will do. Drill your holes, setup the shanty, turn the lantern on, and watch the flasher. Have to have a flasher!
 I use live minnows on a tiny teble hook with a slip bobber, frosty spoons, buckshot spoons, different jigs, and even soft plastics. I suggest having all colors of glow spoons and jigs. May catch a few on blue glow and then they wont touch it. Send down a red glow and they nail it???? I also swithch it up and go to spikes, then just a piece of a minnow.

Get set up with these
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/crappiesetup002.jpg)
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/crappiesetup001.jpg)

 And soon you will get into these
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/Picture035.jpg)
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/Picture034.jpg)
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/Picture027.jpg)
 Hope the pics help you when you go lure shopping. Good luck.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Dec 20, 2008, 09:03 AM
i also use micro trebles with minnows really increases your hook ups.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: Burksee on Dec 20, 2008, 09:45 AM
Thanks Splash! That was one great post.  :)

I'm a fan of dead sticking minnows for crappie so I'm wondering, do you dead stick the spoons or jig them? Thanks again!
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: brokenline on Dec 20, 2008, 10:23 AM
thats a nice catch!!! mostly at night?
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: captain54 on Dec 20, 2008, 10:38 AM
I almost never use minnows,Do really well spoon feeding them,Small Frosty',Demon spoons,Forage minnow,cast masters,pimples,slender spoons,tipped with spikes or waxy in the day,some times in 30 foot or more ,but fish are 99% of the time suspended,at night I down size to small Ratso's and Ratfinkees in glow brite or green glow(try to down size to match the zoo plankton) tipped with spikes or clean. My best advice is to play around with different things till one works and give them the that,every lake is different.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: perch on Dec 20, 2008, 10:45 AM
Splash has got it right, NIGHT-TIME for the crappies!!!  I've caught them at all different times, but the night bite is the best for crappies.  In upstate NY we (at least me) usually use very small fatheads (minnows) or spikes tipped on teardrop jigs.  If the bite is on they go after anything though.  At times, I have also ripped the bottom lip off an already caught one & used it on a teardrop...works real well.  Never tried the minnows in a 2 liter bottle trick or used any illumination, but think I'll add these to my arsenal on those slow bite nights...Good luck & tight lines!!!
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: The Splash on Dec 21, 2008, 07:13 AM
Thanks Splash! That was one great post.  :)

I'm a fan of dead sticking minnows for crappie so I'm wondering, do you dead stick the spoons or jig them? Thanks again!

 I don't deadstick with spoons or jigs. On the jigging rods I use a spring bobber. Get most hits when you pause for a second. The spring bobber is just my prefernce, sometimes even the biggest ones just suck it in lightly and I can see that with the spring bobber.

 I have others, but the really light spring bobbers like this are great.
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/crappiesetup005.jpg)
 and yes, ALL at night.
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/winterofficeandTie004.jpg)
 Just a few pics in daylight the next day
(http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/winterofficeandTie007.jpg)
 I'm going to try to get out the night after Christmas, but this snow will make it a workout!
PS. All crappie in pics were caught on a PUBLIC lake in Oakland Co. They are there, but you have to fish at night! I don't catch ones like that during the day, wish I could.
Title: Re: Crappie Fishing Questions
Post by: coyotecallinfool on Dec 23, 2008, 08:23 PM
My two favorite species for ice fishing are perch and crappie.  My best luck has been like other folks, by heading out late in the evening and night.  Usually seems to have two bits, the first shortly after dark and then again later.  Perhaps 10-11:00.  I use 2 rods, always with spring bobbers.  crappie seem to have the lightest bits so the spring and the vexilar seem to help hook them up.  One rod is a tear drop usually with a mossie and the other a minnow.  I use a small trebble hook in the middle of the back which seems to work well.  I have gotten a few during the day but my best in the winter always seem to be at night.  I usually fish at Devils Lake, Sand Lake, and Kelly Lake in Lenawee county.

Good luck!