Tips on Crappie?

[M_Duong60]

Hi I plan on hitting up the Occoquan River over the comming break and am going to try targeting crappie. I was wondering if there any baits, rigs, lures, tips, etc. that I could use. this is my first time fishing for crappie so any advice would be helpful.

[BassMoore]

Crappie are very aggressive fish, small spinners work well, small crank baits all that jazz

i personally dont even waste my time with any thing else other then minnows. Either under bobber if you feel like being patient, or just using a shad dart and jigging them along like a bass worm.

but again they are very aggressive. the thing i like about jigging the minnies is being able to catch yellow perch, pickerel, an cat fish all in one trip. makes the time worth going.

[quikdrive]

BassMoore, how do you hook the minnow to the shad dart? Thru the tail, lip, etc?

[ronaultmtd]

Fishing a jighead with killifish (mud minnows) I usually hook them just a bit farther back than the thin area of the lips- NOT through the head because that kills them dead, although you can hook them through the eyes and they are OK- Cast gently so you don't rip the hook out and work the jig with short hops-

[BassMoore]

never throw the tail, throw the lips, but a little bit behind the lips.. if you go directly through the lips your going to loose alot of minnows, im in the middle of directly in the middle of their head, and their lips, usually makes them squirm around alot. if im using a bobber, they make small spoons that are very light, but they are silver and gold and give off an amazing flash when the minnows are squirming around, and reflect all over the water.. i really hook into some big fish using these small spoons.

i just looked online for about 15 minutes trying to find what im talking about for you but wasnt very successful.
i work at bass pro Tuesdays and Friday evenings. i could gladly show you.

they come in a package of 3 but they are pretty expensive almost 5 dollars.

[HJS]

My favorite is the 1.5" crappie tubes sold at every tackle store I've ever been in. Also 1.5" twistertails or smaller also work well. Both are rigged on 1/16oz heads Almost always add a red, fold, mid-sized, cigar-shaped, weighted bobber about 3' up from the lure. Bobber must be weighted to get distance. These weighted bobber are sold at WalMart.

[moc]

Hi I plan on hitting up the Occoquan River over the comming break and am going to try targeting crappie. I was wondering if there any baits, rigs, lures, tips, etc. that I could use. this is my first time fishing for crappie so any advice would be helpful.

I am thinking of making my last kayak fishing outing before the holidays. I too was thinking of the occoquan. I might go Sat morning depending on my schedule. PM me if you like. I too will be targeting crappie.

[ComeOnFish]

Minh,
The above comments are all very good info for you.

For Occoquan crappie:

Crappie become aggressive in march- May when the water becomes warm. you can even use 3.5" curly tail (I prefer black) on a 1/16oz jig

But winter, I use a small lure 1.5" white head red tube on 1/16oz jig (refer to HJS's comment). Slow presentation of the lure is the key for me. In Occoquan, crappie will hit the slowly sinking red tube in 6' down often.

But you still need to figure out what water column they are suspended.

Right now the best place is under the dock. Because of the low clearance, you need a short rod (I prefer 4'6" ultra rod). Because of the jig head is small, it is very hard to cast with a heavier rod. Also because of the small jig, you need 4-6# test mono. 4# test mono is better. Superbraided line is not suitable. it is hard to cast with superbraided line than with 4-6# test mono. Superbraided line will get tangled on the rod top section often. Because of the mono line is so thin and the jig is so small, you want a mono with less memory. Once the line is coiled, you can not cast. I like Suffix mono.

With mono line, you can also use a bobber (I like weighted bobber stick). You can find the rigging method on the web.

Finally if you apply Smelly Jelly, your chance of getting crappie is improved by 300%. If you are using smell Jelly, keep the used lures and rod outside when you drive or at home

[russ498]

I am thinking of making my last kayak fishing outing before the holidays. I too was thinking of the occoquan. I might go Sat morning depending on my schedule. PM me if you like. I too will be targeting crappie.

Martin;

bassmoore, daddyg and are thinking about Sunday if you're interested. The winds for Saturday are forecasted at 25 MPH. Maybe somewhere on the Potomac for Crappie and catfish.

[moc]

Thanks! I did not know about the winds. Unfortunately, Sat morning is my only available time since I maybe out of town on Sunday.

[AbuMasgouf]

Joe,

Where do you get your smelly jelly and which scent and type (jar/tube) do you recommend ?

[c-villefisherr408]

I kno the spoons bassmoores talkin about. People use em for shad in the spring too and are quite pricy. Cant remember there name though either. O nungesser spoons i think?

[ComeOnFish]

Joe,

Where do you get your smelly jelly and which scent and type (jar/tube) do you recommend ?

It 's good to have fishing logs. Her is one log that is useful for Occoquan Crappie:
The crappie on the video weren't big that day. But the video shows Smelly Jelly and other stuff (what to expect). We fish very close to the dock for crappie. The blade-bait I used was too big for yellow perch that time. The smaller (under 2.5") is the right size for the YP. Catching flathead catfish is common if you use Smelly Jelly. I cauhgt about 10 flathead when I use Smelly Jelly on the lures. The kid rod is OK. I am using an ultra light combo at $24.99 at Dicks (4'6" rod) now. The fast action rod or a rod longer than 5' is not suitable here. You want a flexible rod so that you can cast a small/light lures. and a Crappie has paper thin lips which can e ripped very easily

at 54 second, you will see the cheap mono line with too much line memory. Suffix 4-6 # test mono (less line memory) is good for crappie fishing with very small lures

[ComeOnFish]

Jay the King Crappie use small tube and Smelly Jelly. He taught me how to fish the Occoquan crappie.

.

As the water becomes warmer the lures become bigger:
Uploaded on May 10, 2011 - Occoquan Spring Fishing - May 1, 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgo5LwPPzgk)
Uploaded on May 12, 2011 - Fishing in Occoquan River, VA (3 of 3) - May 6, 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgo5LwPPzgk)

[AbuMasgouf]

Thanks for all the great info Joe!

I could only find smelly jelly online, does anyone know if any local stores (Dick's, Walmart, BPS) carry it?