How to Jig for Crappie

[@stevehogan8829]

I still remember fishing for crappie on lake Texoma in the mid 60's with my Dad. We caught a boatload. Most were larger than the boat, haha. I took them home and laid them out on the porch and took a pic with my Kodak. I filleted everyone of them. I'm 70 now but sill think about that night with the lanterns, the ice chests, and catching crappie with my Dad.

[@dannyboy1451]

Shoman Blues D

[@cb22boarder]

I am taking my 2 kids crappie fishing at night for the first time this weekend. I can only hope they enjoy and remember it half that much!

[@McBridesWater]

I've been fishing Crappie for a few years now, more so ice fishing up here in New Hampshire and having a ball chasing and learning how to catch them. This is one of the best videos I've seen. I am looking forward to ice out so I can get my canoe or kayak in the water. Thank you.

[@amondokeosai1244]

You are the best it's never get old to watch your video over and over again thank you so much man

[@trickyynicky]

Seriously great. Best crappie fishing video period(no pun intended lol). This is the first time I've even taken the time to comment on a KZbin video. Thanks for making the video, and have a great summer fishing!

[@AndrewWayneV]

Of all the fishing videos I have seen, and believe me it has been a lot. This is one of the best. Thank you for sharing.

[@stevegraff2939]

Very well done. You teach and sound like a normal guy, not some over sponsored hack with a tv show. Loved it.

[@hytekjunky]

Great video. Getting ready for our first "planned" crappie excursion at Black Lake in Louisiana. Thanks for the useful info.

[@billythebrainsoftain]

Soon to get a boat an inflatable boat and try my hand at crappie fishing. Haven't done it since I was a kid. Great vid. Thanks for all the helpful info!

[@henryhill8068]

Over 4 years old and still a very good, informative video. I can't wait to try this technique. I've always been a minnow guy when it comes to crappie but our local live-bait place closed down. I'm gonna try some of your jiggin' moves when i get a chance to get back on the lake here in SC. Thank you!

[@1SUPERHATER]

Sir you just gave me the tune-up or 1-up needed to catch crappie. GREAT VIDEO!!!! I'm a saltwater fisherman im used to the big hit. My freshwater friends help me a little but rag on too. 1st thing new equipment bait caster and new pole Thanks again

[@texasfishingonline]

Funny thing. I'm back in Florida fishing salt water again

[@1SUPERHATER]

I need you to do a video of catching crappie from the bank we all dont have boats

[@1SUPERHATER]

Thank you

[@STR8NRG]

Great video! You covered most everything that folks should focus on. I liked your emphasis on not sweating all the small details and to go with simple techniques of depth and location. High 5^'s

[@waywardhunter8633]

I feel like I learned something very useful from your video. Thank you!

[@raulvitela2836]

Neptuno Vasto Lorde i wasnt paying attention.

[@gerardoayala5976]

Hi my name is Jerry and Im 10 years old and my dad and we love fishing crappie we love your vids

[@Branson4fun]

The Best crappie video I seen in 2014! Lets see more!

[@LPwithMichael]

i just got into fishing and im just learning all the terms and stuff but this video helped me out alot so thank you :)

[@TomBTerrific]

Thanks for the lessons Mike... I find you the most informative without agenda... Appreciate that

[@CB-shellcracker]

Thanks for the great tips on crappie jigging. My story mirrors your story to the letter. In fact, I still have not developed enough confidence in my fish finder (Helix 5 DI) and my jigging technique in order to go out locate and catch crappie. When I go crappie fishing during pre and post spawn periods I might catch 1 or 2 fish on a good day. Your video has been a tremendous help in describing what I see as a reasonable and straight forward technique. Hope to use the knowledge you've shared to be more successful this year. Again, my issue is locating the fish with my electronics then developing enough confidence in the technique you've shared in order to catch them more consistently. Thanks for sharing

[@stalnaker576]

Can't wait to try some of your good tips. Appreciate the video.

[@cireena]

Great video and I appreciate it. I love the taste of Crappie. This vid makes the frustration easier to handle.Mountain Home, Ar.

[@ApplesofGoldcrft]

Great video on jigging for Crappie. You were talking about how fishermen would tie their jigs on and whether it made a difference. I fish Jackson Lake in Georgia a lot and I have tied my line where my hook is horizontal and diagonal. I have caught fish both ways. I don't see a difference in the fish getting hooked. I really enjoyed your seminar on jigging for crappie. God Bless you and all of your family. Mike Brady

[@Labyrnthdom]

Mike, your crazy. Someone had to say it lol. Great informative video man.

[@tedmatelski2356]

I love that analogy.

[@camboviet316]

I learned a lot from you. Thanks

[@royarnold9609]

Very nice video. Always had issues when it came to crappie. I learned that my presentation was a little to much. Thanks for sharing. I'll look for you on Lavon if we can get some water in the lake.

[@lellykuick]

thank you for this video. my first year fishing for them and I can't wait to try your technique

[@alorr4uz]

That wink analogy is hilarious!

[@brodyjohnson9324]

Great video! very helpful, you're analogy was pretty funny too lol

[@baseball912]

What a great Video thankyou for sharing your Knowledge and it was for free ...THANKS SOOOO MMMUUUCHHH

[@richardwarmack287]

Thank you so much. Outstanding information and great video. Easy to follow and understand.

[@TheTootsiee]

this helped me a lot i`ve always had trouble with jigs thanks

[@trahtrebor]

Thanks for the info. I've been interested in jig fishing for a while, just haven;t had anyone to show me anything about it. Everytime I asked I would get the phrase, well just do this or that. No real info. This actually makes a lot of sense. I'll be trying this out on the Alabama river. Thanks.

[@wwswilson]

Really good video, putting it all together!!!

[@davidsinning8270]

very good video i have one very important tip for jig fishing or trolling with a jig if you if you look at a jig the shank and the hook point are paralell if you bend the hook point up 45 degrees you will hook alot more hits and they will be hooked in the roof of there mouth if your jig is pointing straight up before i tried this i saw crappies in clear water take my jig in and spit it out in a split second doesnt happen when you bend your hook up try it you wont miss very many

[@texasfishingonline]

I only fish from the shore during the spawn when fish are shallow. I use a bobber, splitshot, and #2 true turn hook. With a jig, I use it under the bobber and pop it 2-3 times and stop while retrieving slowly.

[@nathanscott6515]

Like the video. Good to see someone representing Lake Lavon and Wylie!!!

[@YetiDoesArt]

Great video. Well done. Very informative.

[@paulblankenship6351]

Nice job. Very informative and good results.

[@callmecamo2]

As far as the nightclub analogy goes, if she's dancing and jumping around, that means she's good and drunk and its time to move in for the kill! Very nice vid.

[@texasfishingonline]

I was fishing vertical over a brush pile. The depth at this spot was about 14 ft deep. Fish were 10 to 12 ft deep

[@rbond0070]

Nice way of explaining things. Thanks

[@albertoorduno4538]

Love the analogy. .. thanks... great video.

[@jallen32785]

lol I loved the analogy

[@watchan1908]

Mike, your problem with a fish pulling the tube skirt off the jig head can be solved by inserting the jig head into the tube bait and bring out the jig eye thru the tube near the head for line attachment. If your hook got too big for the tube, just use a smaller hook or bigger tube bait.

[@REDCRANE1944]

EXCELLENT EXPLANATION THANKS FOR A DETAILED DEMONSTRATION

[@johnmichaelmacdonald6633]

Good basic strategy. Thanks!

[@den1s7we]

Thanks for the video. I'll be heading out tomorrow. Wish me luck. I'll follow up with an update.

[@markmcfeeters3405]

loved the cameo by the dog

[@catchitcookiteatit4462]

Great video, very informative. Thanks!

[@jasonm7404]

Great video, keep them coming!

[@justfish9953]

lake lavon! thats awesome! my cousins live in Rockwall and they fish in ray hubbard all the time! im going to tell them about this place and your tips on how to fish thier! :))))

[@joeyweeks12]

Putting a live minnow on a jig head works great, I even use a live minnow on a jig, works great!

[@severe28]

great video. very good tips..

[@66jbg]

very informative video. Thanks for sharing.

[@texasfishingonline]

Yes, I tried it and I prefer mono, but I know a lot of folks who use braided line. You will feel the thump more easily with braided line.

[@jjkewlaid]

never thought of measuring depth with the rod. cool thanks

[@texasfishingonline]

I use a uni-knot. I don't think it holds the jig to rigid, but some use a loop know so the jig can move down when the fish strikes. Personally I have not noticed a huge difference although some swear by it. The biggest thing to me is finding the fish.

[@BGSTV]

Great vid buds!

[@gregorydelacruz7315]

thank you for taking your time to share

[@petmogul2967]

I have been nailed two days in a row throwing a small catfish back like you did in the video. Those lil fellas can put a hurt on ya :D

[@DAP783]

Some food for thought to some of those who lack confidence. I used to believe artificial baits, lures, etc didn't work. To have confidence in what you're using take a little time to do a little bit of studying. When I decided to do some research I realized I was using some of mine completely wrong. This obviously going toward noob fishers like myself haha

[@texasfishingonline]

Lavon is my go to lake. It is the closest to me. I fish Texoma, Lake o the pines, Ray Roberts, and have been to a few others.

[@MadSmokerBBQ]

Great vid man.

[@texasfishingonline]

The buoy marks you spot. The throw your buoy into the wind and target getting the buoy at least 10 feet upwind then use your trolling motor and point your boat into the wind. Now you can fish your brush pile at stump without tangling up in the buoy, have good boat control, and always know where your spot is.

[@dets2492]

great video thank you for the tips!

[@GrowSomethingTasty]

Good video, I just started crappie fishing and its driving me nuts. I used minnows last week under a bridge and landed a nice 12 inch crappie and that was it. They just barely hit the bait and i could not land it. I tried with a jig but I had no luck. Do you fish around bridges if not how do you know where to go? Do you use a fish finder, I am a new boater so having the freedom to go around the lake is hard to pick a spot.

[@nabimiso]

Excellent video. Thank you very much.

[@texasfishingonline]

I am using my trolling motor. I have not notice it disturb them. It maybe true, but I keep moving when they stop biting. You must be very careful when anchoring on a brush pile. I've seen many brush piles ruined because people anchor in them.

[@texasfishingonline]

I have not fished ray hubbard. I would try the bridges and standing timber to start with if I went there. Crappie are spawning right now, but after the spawn, I would fish 10-15 feet of water - minnows or jigs. If you know where any brush piles are - even better.

[@seankost8945]

very informal, do u ever bobber fish with slipbobber and minnow as well?

[@x8541]

Great video.

[@fuski23]

do you think using something like a roster tail to as a method to find the crappie an then the jig to fish out the spot once you have located the school?

[@texasfishingonline]

glad you enjoyed. Hope to post more soon.

[@3213victor]

Good video. Thank you

[@saelee33]

Very information video. Love it. Keep it coming. I just sub.

[@DroptineTrans]

Great video!

[@texasfishingonline]

The water here in Texas can be murky and the fish are not so spooky. We catch more white crappie than black crappie. You can catch white crappie in water that looks like chocolate milk. I also like to fish with a top down approach. Catch the fish highest in the water column first.

[@ChUyLoPeZ1]

Great video helped alot thanks.

[@oldfool01]

As for the part about catching 5 or 6 fish then having to move to another location, I've noticed where I live the fish are generally pretty spooky. Don't know if it's the same in other parts of the country or not. If we take great pains to minimize vibrations through the boat and commotion in general (including getting a hooked fish out of the school as soon as possible), we can maximize the numbers caught in any one location before that lull occurs. Any thoughts?

[@texasfishingonline]

Yes, I may do that eventually, but pier fishing for crappie will likely not be year round. It depends on how deep of water the pier is in and what time of year it is.

[@llamabutterful]

Great video, very informative, just curious, how do you get the jig down to that depth without a sinker?

[@ZenaBattaglia]

Thank you so much for the great tips!

[@texasfishingonline]

I don't scent my jigs. I have used crappie nibbles before, but I don't notice a difference, so I don't buy them anymore. Now, there are times I have tipped my jigs with a minnow. Sometimes it helps in the hot summer or times when fish are very finicky.

[@ApplesofGoldcrft]

In Lake Jackson we use a lot of the skirt jigs and the curly tell jigs in 1/16 oz. that has a white head, blue body, and white tail. The crappie really hit that color. I go to the Bass Pro Shop when they have their sale in April and buy a lot of the stump jumpers. They are like the road runners, but they have a fish shaped head. Thought I would throw that in for someone that might need the advice. Mike Brady

[@SeargentWaffles]

I love lake Jackson we have a cove we tons of brush that hold tons of crappie if the waters up

[@DonKingJr]

Mike, Thanks for the info...

[@robmarcjon]

great video thanks

[@Lukedelt]

Is Lavon your go-to lake for Crappie? Do you have any tips for catching Sandbass? Also, do you provide a guide service?

[@cscarter71]

Was buoy to mark the stump/brush pile?

[@bubba63nc]

how would you know how to fish from the shore? would you use a bobber or a drop shot typ of rig?

[@TomTCincyO]

Is there a certain type knot you use when fishing a jig? Ive been using a polymar but feel that it may hold the jig to rigid?

[@n8br88]

Are you using your trollin motor or dropping anchor? Do you think trolling disturbs them at all? and, also, do you think it disturbs the temperment of the other crappie when you catch and release? I've been told it can cause the other crappie to stop biting because the fish that was released is in distress. Great video.

[@texasfishingonline]

I have not fished hubbard. I would start at the bridge pilings - start at the shallowe ones and move deeper. Also standing timer - I will do a video on that this summer.

[@MadMikeBee]

Hey thanks this is going to help me! New to this.

[@angelhdz413]

Hey nice vid .. I live in Dallas and would love to go on a fishing trip with you bro!!

[@0045dmoore]

Mike, just using a map no, gps or other electronics other than a cheap hummingbird depth finder and a little boat with a trolling motor to get you around. How can we find the best location on are home lakes, no matter the time of year, weather. Thanks Don

[@texasfishingonline]

where is this located? Are their points or trees? If the lake is not that big, try spider rigging and check our my other video on how to make rod holders for under $10. Maybe $0 if you already have the material.

[@0045dmoore]

MIke, Thank you so much for the reply. Glad to hear from you. I hope you will be able to help me out. Yes, the Location is "Cedar Creek Lake", Stanford, KY. If you google earth the Location, you will see my home lake. The lake is a Hill-Land reservoir, chuck full of timber. When KDFW impounded the lake they left all the trees standing, and even added some, along with stake beds, and rock reefs. Sure could use the help. Thanks Don

[@texasfishingonline]

If you know where the creek channels run, that can help, but to start, fish trees off points or isolated trees. Fish as many as you can 1-2 minutes each. I'll have a look on google earth.

[@texasfishingonline]

Wow those creeks look really good. Start on the deepest timber you can find near those points and creeks. and then work your way shallower. Pattern the fish like I mentioned in the video. I would imagine they are beginning to spawn where you are or very soon, so those stake beds would be good. This is the only time of year I fish very shallow. Todd Huckabee has some good videos too. He believes you can catch them shallow year round, but I believe that will muddier lakes.

[@0045dmoore]

texasfishingonline Hi Mike< Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time out too look at "Cedar Creek Lake" for me and give me your in sight. Im sure you noticed the creek channel on the upper end of the lake, which runs under the US 1770 bridge. I have been catching some decent size crappie along that channel ever since the mid March, caught my biggest in 42 degree water at that time, and they hit hard at that time, and yes they were loaded with eggs. This creek channel is line with standing timber and cedars. Creek channel runs 16ft deep rolls up on both sides to 8ft to 10ft of water, which is lined with timber, stumps and cedars.There are flats on the bay side area, with some submerged brush. Problem is everyone now knows this is the place to be. People tend to do good using minnows around the cedars. Me i use jigs, an Electric Chicken 2inch Slab Slayer or a pink hed with white body marabou w/ tinsel in it. Last year the Electric Chicken was like the magic lure, and crappie just smashed it! Just pithch in and whammo, Crappie! It felt awesome, there was hardly a trip I dint fill the stringer with 13inch fish, and the amzing thing was I was the only one doing it. There would boat after boat come bye and tell me thay hadnt got a bit all day or in days. This people where using minnows at the time, all while I was smoking them! Mike I felt like a pro! LOL..... That held true last year all the way up to May when the water warmed up and the fish must have relocated to deeper water I guess? This year Iam catching them on the Slab Slayer color but its not the same as last year. I know things change, but I dont see why there so, so on that lure. Really on any lure, theres been days they bite most any Color of the Slab Slayer body style, not aggressive, lot of the time I have to keep jigging it in or around the bush or standing timber for awhile before getting bit. But, soon Mike the spawn here will be over, the water temps a pushing the lower 60's. Mike im going to want to cathc crappie year around in this lake. Summer is soon coming, and Im to have to find them all over again. This is so hard to do, a huge factor being all I have to get me around is my 12ft Jon boat with a trolling motor to get me around. So no running and gunning for me. I have to be able to given the weather conditions and time of year, use my contour map to help me locate likely spots. Now, there are boat docks and every part of the lake, lower, middle, and upper. The trick is, given the conditions, just where to put in thats close by likely spots for that given trip. So tough! Mike, I know its been a book, but thank you so much for all your help, and taking the time out.

[@benjohnson4421]

Very nice. Thanks

[@packjim56]

I hired a fishing guide to go fishing for a different species once. The bites were very numerous so I was getting worn out pulling in and releasing our catch. I suggested to the guide that we stop scenting the lures to slow down the action. He just would not have it. He wanted big numbers, not fun. I think he forgot who the customer was. He was very expensive too, I might add. Do you ever/always scent your jigs when fishing for crappie. I would be curious to know how they bite without it.

[@SobeHall]

I'm confused by the bouy marker, what do you mark with that?

[@dariusvilla5680]

I find this useful not only for crappie fishing but for fishing for panfish. Being that I live in South Florida, freshwater panfish can include sunfish, bluegill, Mayan cichlids, tilapia, and Oscars. I started using jigs for fishing, and not surprisingly I jigged the jig crazily up and down, like you said about many jig beginners. I've also put my jig on a swivel. I have a couple of questions to ask you. I do not have a boat, so I fish from shore. I know that like you said, location location location is very important. I know that thick vegetation along the shoreline holds a lot of fish. But even when I cast there, I still got nothing. South Florida is full of urban canals. How do I find the "right" location if I don't have a boat?

[@texasfishingonline]

Darius Villa You've got to look for tunings that stand out. Like on lakes the fish maybe only on certain trees in a particular depth. Trial and error can be time consuming, but if you catch a fish, see what stands out. Current, point, particular structure, quick access to deep water like a drop off. Also, do you have a kayak?

[@texasfishingonline]

Things not tunings, sorry

[@dariusvilla5680]

texasfishingonline I don't have a kayak right now, but I am investing in an inflatable kayak that costs $200. Also, I just got my iBobber, which is a castable fish finder. I find it quite useful in finding fish. I forgot to mention that some canals in SoFla pass through small lakes.

[@dariusvilla5680]

texasfishingonline Do bridges count as something that sticks out? I'm figuring since that gives fish shade during hot summer days. About the iBobber, it wasn't as good as I expected, so I returned it.

[@texasfishingonline]

Darius Villa bridges are very good structure for fishing. The key is depth depending on the time of year. Try different pillars and start from the top down. Letting out line until you get a bite.

[@kdstillwell]

Are you experiencing crappie getting over-sensitive to sonar? I have good luck finding schools on my home lakes but often find that either anchored or using trolling motor that that fish won't strike.

[@texasfishingonline]

Thank you, I plan to do more