Best Crappie Bait
Catch More Panfish
What's the best crappie bait to use for catching these spunky fighting papermouths? We're talking about bait, not artificial lures, right? It should be fair to also mention that live bait can outperform dead bait or even artificial for crappie fishing.
Minnows are a prime meal for crappie. There's not much of a chance for the minnow when Mr. Crappie is around the neighborhood. The crappie can hardly stand it and they're just too difficult to pass on.
Many times the minnow is set out under a bobber, and can be tossed out with or without a weight, or are used in ice fishing. Small minnows that range from 1 to 2 inches are best to use. Use the larger sized minnows during the warmer months of spring and summer, as the bait fish in the water will naturally be bigger from feeding on the forage during these times. And of course, smaller minnows during the cooler times of the year.
Another amazing and favorite crappie bait is a worm. Worms, such as night crawlers, meal worms, earthworms, wax worms and small blood worms are all excellent baits to use.
You can pinch off some of the excess worm from the bottom of the hook, especially when the crappie are short biting it. Another good alternative is to use a set of gang hooks.
There are some other notable things to think about. Juvenile crappie will feed on small insects and bugs. As they mature into adulthood they begin feeding more on bait fish. However, black crappie will still feed on bugs throughout their adult lives. The crappie will also feed on small crustaceans such as little crayfish.
So consider using bugs and insects as crappie bait, such as crickets, grasshoppers, leeches, and if you can stomach the mere thought, maggots. You can catch your own baits like these. Or they can be found for sell at many bait and tackle stores like Bass Pro Shops. They can last up to around a few weeks after they have been opened.
Other options to creatively think about considering can be the feeder fish from your local pet supply stores. They're usually orange, or sometimes white or black. Because of their relatively small size and shiny orange colors, they fair nicely for attracting some quality crappie.
I have also found boxes of live crickets to be sold at pet shops, usually near the reptile section.
If your able to, you can catch your own live bait fish with a throw net. Most of any type of small bait fish should produce well. Small threadfin and gizzard shad, ship jack, smelt or small fry species of other game fish are some examples. Smelt is considered as an endangered species in some areas of water throughout. So be sure to understand the laws and regulations before you follow through with netting your own live baits.
