How to fish a jig for crappie, season by season

Crappie Country Chenille Jigs

A small jig is the one crappie lure that works all year. What weight to tie on, how deep to fish it each season, how to work it, and what to tip it with -- from the state fisheries agencies that manage crappie.

Pick a light jig

Crappie jigs are small. The state agencies land in the same narrow band: Florida's FWC recommends 1/16- to 1/8-ounce jigs in white, yellow, pink or chartreuse on light-wire hooks, Minnesota DNR suggests 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32 ounce, and Virginia DWR, writing about drifting jigs for spring crappie, puts the range at 1/64 to 1/8 ounce with 1/16 and 1/32 usually working best.

Go lighter when the fish are shallow and the water is calm, and heavier when you need to get down to deeper fish or keep contact in wind. A lighter jig falls slower, which gives a crappie more time to look at it.

Tip it, or don't

A jig catches crappie on its own, but agencies note that adding live bait helps. FWC says tipping a jig with a live minnow increases its effectiveness, and Wisconsin DNR notes that small fathead minnows -- the 'crappie minnows' sold in bait shops -- are often fished together with a light jig. On a day when fish are following and not biting, a minnow on the hook is the first thing to try.

Where the fish are, season by season

Spring: crappie move shallow to spawn. New York DEC describes spring fish holding in water under 8 feet deep, and Tennessee's TWRA says that on Cheatham Reservoir crappie move shallow in early April and respond well to light jigs of 1/8 ounce or less, tipped with soft plastics or minnows. Missouri's MDC recommends flipping or casting a 1/32- to 1/16-ounce jig into shallow water and moving slowly and quietly along the bank.

Summer: they go deeper and often suspend. MDC finds summer crappie in 15 to 20 feet of water, about 10 to 15 feet down, around standing timber along creek channels and on brush piles, and says vertical jigging works well there. New York DEC notes summer fish may suspend about 10 feet down over 30 feet of water -- count your jig down instead of fishing the bottom.

Fall: MDC finds crappie in the upper 10 feet of the water around docks and brush piles in October and November. Cast into the back of a boat slip or along its edges, let the jig sink 2 to 3 seconds, then retrieve slowly.

Fish attractors and brush piles hold crappie much of the year. On Tims Ford Reservoir, TWRA says the attractors are most productive for crappie from October through May in 6 to 12 feet of water, fished with jigs and minnows. Most of the lakes on Hidden Waters have their agency's attractor sites on the lake map, with a GPX download for your fish finder.

How to work it

Slow is the rule. Minnesota DNR describes letting the jig fall toward the bottom, then reeling it in slowly with an occasional jigging motion. Over brush and timber, drop it straight down, stop it just above the cover and hold it there with small lifts. When crappie are suspended at one depth, a slip bobber holds the jig at exactly that depth and still casts easily.

If you want to cover water, a slow swimming retrieve at the fish's depth finds scattered crappie. Once one bites, slow down and fish the same spot and depth -- crappie school.

Color: start with the water

Color matters less than depth and speed, but the water clarity is a sensible place to start. Pro angler Dan Dannenmueller sorts water by how deep a white object stays visible: muddy if it disappears within 2 feet, stained at 2 to 4 feet, clear beyond that. Brighter colors such as chartreuse and pink are the usual picks for stained water, and more natural shades for clear water -- FWC's list of white, yellow, pink and chartreuse covers both.

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