Freshwater Fishing Basics

Crappie fishing is loads of fun! If your looking for basic knowledge on how to get started

Crappie fishing, you’ve come to the right place!

Introduction

Crappie may be fished year round but Fall and Spring are
the best times. They will move into the shallows become very aggressive when the water temp is 45-50 degrees.
This is their prespawn time. They wait till the water gets a few degrees warmer before actually spawning.
During these times, look for shallow water that also provides cover such as bushes, weedbeds,
fallen trees rocks, points etc. You can use the same equipment and strategies for Bluegill!

Equipment Needed:

Listed below is the equipment you need to get started fishing for Crappie

• Rod: Ultralight spinning rod
• Reel:Spinning
• Line: 4-6 lb Monofilament.
• Terminal tackle: Snap swivel

Rod- Spinning rod- These rods can be used to catch many types of panfish. They’re also sensitive enough to pick up on that light Crappie nibble.

Reel- Spinning reel- These are versatile reels that are easy to use, last a long time and are very effective for panfish.

Line- 4-6 lb test line. These are little fish, you don’t need big heavy line. This size line allows you to enjoy the fight and also land the fish. Some of the major Manufactures include Stren and Berkley.

Snap Swivel- The snap swivel helps out the beginning fisherman in two ways:

• The swivel part, reduces line twisting
• The snap makes it simple to quickly change lures.

Use a Ball Bearing Swivel with Fast-Lock Snap

Tackle/Bait:

Live bait rigs: minnows, earthworms, grubs etc. Use #8 hooks

Vertical fishing

Panfish Rigs- Rigs are a productive and easy way to catch many different species of fish. We suggest 2 types of rigs:

• Live bait rigs/Crappie rigs
• Bobber Rigs

Start by attaching the rig to your main line, and add about a 1/2 ounce casting sinker to the bottom of the rig. Simply add a minnow or piece of worm to the hooks and drop it over the side. Let the rig sink to the bottom and take up the slack in the line so the rig will standup straight.

Bobber rigs can be effective for Crappie and are a great way to get kids started fishing. We recommend a Mini-Shy Bite Float by Thill, but any type will work for pan fish. First, figure out how deep you want your bait off the bottom and tie the bobber stop knot on your line at that depth. Slip on the bobber stop bead and then the slip bobber and a hook. Put a good size split shot about a foot or two above it. Bait the hook and throw it all over the side. Make sure you have some slack in the line to allow the bobber to bounce up and down during a bite. You can fish a bobber rig next to the boat or toss it away from the boat. Bobber rigs work great if you want a relaxing day of fishing or for kids. If the bobber goes under water, set the hook, period. If the bobber continuously bounces a few times in a row, set the hook during the bounces. If after attempting to set the hook, you did not hook the fish, check the bait. If it’s still there, get it back down quickly; the fish may still be interested. If the bait is gone, re-bait the hook and get it back in the water. School is in session and a class maybe waiting for your worm to come on down!

Don’t like the idea of using live bait? Try casting

Casting- You can also use a variety of plastics such as a Crappie kit. Panfish kits also work well to locate them. Some people use this method to locate a school, once they do, they switch to vertical fishing because for them it’s most effective method.

Where can I find the fish?

Check out the license page for a link to your site fishing license policy.

Well, that’s all, if you’ve read this entire page, followed all the links, you should be ready to out and catch some Crappie! Now that wasn’t too complicated was it? I hope this article was clear and enjoyable. If you have any comments? Send us a feedback, we’d love to hear from you! If you haven’t already, please don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter.

© 2005 – 2007, Scott Gaines. All rights reserved.