Crappie fishing with minnows

Fishing with live minnows to catch crappie can be the best bait to use. Knowing how to use the minnow properly is the key to catching your limits of crappie.

First you need to have the proper equipment. Fishing line should be in the range of 6 to 8 pound test with a number 6 or 8 hook. A crappies mouth is small so you need to use a small hook. Tie the hook directly to your line. Do not use a snap swivel unless you are using a hook with leader line already attached to the hook. The least amount of items to distract the fish the better. Sometimes a swivel can distract a fish enough where he may not go for the hook. Now grab a minnow and hook it through the nose. Hooking the minnow through the back will kill it too quickly. Sometimes I have seen fishermen hook it through the tail to allow them to swim better which can keep the minnow alive longer as well. All hooking techniques will kill the minnow eventually, so do the best you can to keep them alive the longest.

Crappie fishing with minnows attached to a jig is also a great way to catch big crappie. This is a deadly combination of live bait and artificial lure. It may be the best live bait combination you will ever fish with for crappies. There are many choices of colors and weights that can make up a great crappie jig.  Even the shape of the jig head can be different. Jigs come with synthetic hair or feathers to hide the hook plus make a flowing action in the water that will attract crappie. You only need to make sure you have a good assortment of styles and sizes in your tackle box to choose from. You never know what crappie will bite on the particular day you are fishing because of weather conditions or the time of year.

Another style of crappie fishing with minnows is to drift with the minnow attached to the jig and bouncing it off the bottom. Using a bobber or float and a slow drift in order to locate what depth they are in is also is a great crappie fishing method. Sometimes crappies are suspended at different depths so locating them can be quite challenging. If you have a fish finder it would be easier to find them. You will still need to get them bite.

Going crappie fishing with minnows can be the most productive way of catching crappie. Just make sure you keep the minnows lively and in cool water. A live well for bait is the best way to keep minnows alive because you can control the temperature of the water, or just keep them in a minnow bucket over the side of the boat. However if the lake water is to warm at the surface you need to keep a careful eye on your minnows.

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