crappie jigs

[TIER 0]

If you read the post I made to the lodge titled "I'm Back" you may have seen I am going to Lee's Summit, Kansas City, Missouri. Missouri has tons of lakes and ponds and i have around 10 in my general area. A couple of those bodies of water have crappie. I am not bringing any fly rods; I am only my spinning and baitcasting rod but will most likely use jigs if I end up going for crappie (Largemouth Bass and Catfish are my main targets). I have tied basic jigs like classic Marabou jigs, bucktail jigs, and I made a few crawfish imitations. I was wondering if you guys had any other jig patterns that you would like to share. If i have the matirials I will be sure to tie it and try it out on the water.

[RickZieger 0]

Lookup the rubber legger dragon and "Only" fly and tie them as jigs.Both on FAOL.

Rick 

[umik1953 0]

https://www.crappie.com/crappie/jig-tying-lure-making-diy-forum/418278-float-fly-tutorial-using-duck-feathers/

[niveker 0]

@umik1953 - that's a good site. 

I don't spin fish hardly at all anymore, but last year I started tying these for a friend of mine who does.  Pretty fun to do, actually, and simple.  At first, I wasn't sure what would work best so I tied up a pretty wide selection of material/colors.  There are on 1/16 and 1/32 jigs, Eagle Claw hooks from Walmart.  He prefers the 1/32 on a 4lb test. This fall I started using the small ones on my 7wt when fishing the lake from shore when I don't have time to get on the river - lots of fun.   

He had the best luck with this one

But I think colors for crappie can vary widely from lake to lake, so I would do an assortment for a new to me spot.  

Not a jig,  but this fly with metal bead thorax also does well for me with panfish.  

  Good luck, and post some pics if you get any.  And don't beat up those poor fish when you land them.    

[DarrellP 0]

Crappie colors can vary by the hour.  Yellow, blue and chartreuse, black, white.  Any colors.  Yellow is a very common starting point

[Philly 0]

These are some that I tied up to use with my 6 wgt in the spring.  These are hair jigs.  I have no idea what type of hair it is.  I found bag of it when I was sorting through my fly tying materials. They're tied on 1/32 oz Mooneye jigs.

I also tied some bucktail jigs on 1/20 oz  Fish Head jigs which I used a couple of times with my 6 wgt when I was up in Canada in early September.  I caught a perch and couple of bass on them.

With spinning gear, when fishing from shore, we use 1/8 oz jigs with Mister Twister tails suspended below a bobber.  We'd fish the jigs at different depths until we found the crappie and retrieve them slowly, pausing every so often

If you're fishing from a boat, then you need to locate structure, wood, or stumps, rock piles and jig for them with small soft plastics or use minnows.  It hasn't been exceptionally cold in that area this winter but the fish will be in deeper water, suspended over weed beds or structure.  You'll need a slow presentation and also be able to keep your jig at depth the fish are.  One suggestion would be to tip the jig with a maggot, mealworm or small minnows.  The bass and catfish will also be in deeper water and again you'll need a slow presentation.

[skeet3t 0]

Niveker, complements on the fly collection.

[niveker 0]

1 hour ago, skeet3t said:

Niveker, complements on the fly collection

Thanks, skeet3t.  Most of those are with my buddy.  Its the price I pay for deer hair.  He just gave me a head and nearly a whole skin from a doe he took yesterday, LOL.  Its sitting in my freezer until I get some time to prep it.  

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Great looking crappie jigs... Something I stumbled on years ago is that patterns like this made very good small bonefish jigs... Of course finding jigheads that size with stronger hooks - that was tough... 

I haven't fished bonefish in years now since retreating back into the Everglades dark waters, but small offerings  worked very,  very well years ago when the club I belonged to then had an ultra-light spin category you could compete in (4lb line, casting artificials only...).

[The Mad Duck 0]

In coastal NC,in the blackwater creeks, Pink and White are the go to colors

[niveker 0]

What are 

11 hours ago, The Mad Duck said:

blackwater creeks

?

[mikechell 0]

Blackwater ... tannin stained to the color of coffee.

[The Mad Duck 0]

The Creeks down there, as Mike said are Tannin Stained. The water looks coffee colored, but is actually gin clear.

[niveker 0]

I see now, thanks.  They don't get that black here in New England, tea stained (from the hemlocks) is what we call them, or at least I call them that.  

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

That dark "Blackwater" is a daily staple in the interior of the Everglades... When the big tarpon push up into the interior... the water, as noted above, is gin clear in winter but very dark... That sets up a situation where we can pole within 30 feet or so from resting "laid up" tarpon that are so big they look like logs... If you work up along very shallow sheltered shorelines that dark water loses it's effect in less than two feet depth so we also get to sight fish snook, redfish, and other species that work along the shallows.

Just nothing like the 'glades...