What's the BEST bait for Winter Crappies?

Crappies can't hide when you are
watching your VEXILAR.

The winter of 2023/2024 has not cooperated well with ice anglers, however I have had the opportunity to go out and catch some crappies on four different bodies of water.  I love chasing crappies throughout the entire year, and one thing I do know is there is NOT a perfect bait.  These fish seem to change their mind on the hour as to what they want to eat.  I have a series of baits that I try each time when targeting crappies.  Here are those offerings:

1- I will usually always start with a jig and large plastic.  I really like the CLAM Dropkick jig, it has a large hook and the larger plastic really fits on them well.  I do not worry much about the style of plastic, just as long as it is larger and appears like a minnow.  My favorite color is the white/pink glow jig with a white plastic.  I can give it a a quick "glow" in the early mornings or later afternoons to entice a few more bites too.  

2- After I have tried the jig and plastic, I have two options to pick from.  If I am only catching smaller fish out of the schools, or pairs of crappies that come in, I will switch to a spoon tipped with spikes.  This will help me ignore the small crappies and help me catch the larger ones.  The second part of this decision is if the jig and plastic is not working at all, then I will switch the plastic out for two or three spikes.  This will catch those leery crappies that do like the larger plastic/jig combo.

3- If those three baits haven't hooked a desirable fish, then it is time to finesse them.  Crappies can be very temperamental and once in a while they want a very small, finesse bait.  I always have a finesse jigging rod ready whenever I am on the water.  My choice is a "Schooley" set up with 1# line, micro jig and a couple of spikes or micro plastic.  A spring bobber helps aid me to see the "up bites"  with these finicky fish.  This set up is the most basic way to fish, but to be honest, it always seems to work.  

Schooley Reel Set-up

ICE FISHING- What's in my Tackle Box?

 What’s in my tackle box?  ICE FISHING EDITION

Ice fishing is in full force right now in Iowa, do you have the baits needed to trick your favorite fish?  There are so many options in the world of ice fishing these days, one can become confused very quickly.  The next time you are in your favorite outdoor store, you will want to make sure you have these top baits while you are on the ice.

Ice fishing jigs are the most popular bait you will see while out on the ice.  These small, micro jigs are specially made for ice fishing.  The smaller profile is a must during winter conditions, your jigs from your summertime bluegill box will not catch you as many fish.  Ice fishing gear is very specialized due to the time of year.  During the winter months the water is very clear, and most fish are feeding on smaller prey than usual.  These two reasons are key to matching those circumstances with small lure presentations.  Ice fishing jigs come in all sizes, but if your tackle box doesn’t have a good selection of 3mm and 4mm jigs in it, you are missing out on a lot of fish.  These sizes seem to be key to tricking panfish during the wintertime.  My favorite bait to tip these jigs with are Eurolarvae.  These small worms (maggots) are great winter bait, you can put a couple on a jig or load it up with several more to see what the fish like on that day.  Larger jigs can be used for walleyes and perch, as they will continue to feed on larger forage throughout the winter.  Tip these larger jigs with a minnow for a deadly combination.  It appears every ice angler has their favorite jig, or their favorite color of jig.  For me, I really like the Clam Dropkick jig.  It is different from most of the tear drop jigs that many companies have, and I really like the rocking motion it has in the water.  In my many years on the ice I have really narrowed down the color of jigs I buy; black, gold, silver, white, red glow, and green glow.  I have found that in almost every situation that one of these colors will work.  Most days, it is the size or jig, action of your jigging or the size of bait you have on your hook, experiment with those things before changing colors.

 

Next up for your tackle box is the spoon section.  I can remember a time when spoons were once limited to the Swedish Pimple.  In today’s world there are dozens and dozens of companies with their own ice fishing spoons.  Spoons are used to target just about every fish that swims under the ice.  The smaller the target species, the smaller the spoon should be.  The larger the target, such as walleye, the larger the spoon should be.  Color, once again, is a personal preference.  However, my color choices are even smaller when it comes to spoons.  Gold, silver and any color that glows can be found in my tackle box.  The glow options work well under low light as well as dirty water, while the gold and silver work anytime of the day.  Spoons can be the vertical type, like a Kastmaster, or Clam Pinhead minnow, which stay pretty much below your hole and hang vertically.  There are horizontal types of baits too.  These baits sit horizontally in the water column, like a minnow swimming.  Some popular types of this style are the Clam Tika Mino and the Rapala Jigging Rap.  Both, horizontal and vertical types of spoon lures work well, having a few of each is nice to experiment with.  Next to these spoons in my tackle box are extra treble hooks.  Many companies use a lesser quality treble hook and will wear out after a few dozen fish.  Make sure and buy some extra hooks to replace them as needed.  Be sure to buy #14 treble hooks, they are perfect for just about any spoon.  Another item that I always have on hand are dropper chains.  These are small chains that replace the treble hook on a spoon.  It “drops” the hook and bait down from the spoon for fish that may be finicky.  These can be single hooks or smaller treble hooks.  I have seen these really shine during the middle of the day.  Fish may have been biting well on spoons, and then they start to shy away.  This is your signal to go to a dropper chain, the fish will love it!  

 

The last thing, and perhaps the most important is an extra spool of line.  I typically use 2-pound monofilament on my panfish spinning reels.  It flows nicely off the spool, and the memory is manageable.  Having an extra spool ready can save your day, or at least make it more enjoyable.  The smaller reels that we use on the ice tend to coil the line and make it brittle.  A quick change of line on your favorite reel is easy and only takes a minute of your time on the ice, it may just save your day. 

 

Ice fishing has many different baits to fill your tackle box.  The best advice is to have a little bit of everything when you hit the ice.  Trying different baits and colors at lakes and rivers is key to allowing you to get confidence on those bodies of water.  Also, my advice for any ice angler is to use spoons more often.  Many times, anglers will have dozens of spoons, but they do not use them much, or maybe only use them for perch or walleyes, this is a big mistake.  If you have found a school of fish, it is time for the spoon rod to come out.  You may not catch as many bluegills or crappies, but the big ones that you catch will make everyone else in your group jealous!  Tie on a few spoons this winter for larger panfish, you won’t be disappointed.  Stay safe out there enjoying the wintertime fishing.

~~~This story appears in The Iowa Sportsman Magazine,

to catch a glimpse of the magazine CLICK HERE~~~