Fishing - Crappie Fishing Bait Color Guidelines

Fishing for crappie will reveal that the bait color changes with each season. This natural phenomenon occurs due to crappie‘s spawning season.

Switching up your bait colors can be one of the most effective ways to increase your catch rate. Here are some guidelines on selecting colors for use:

Artificial Lures

Crappie fishermen use artificial lures and plastic baits in a range of colors, especially bright ones that stand out against stained water. Furthermore, they like to incorporate various scents – typically oil-based – into their bait for added appeal.

Crappies are particularly attracted to artificial lures that appear lifelike when submerged in water. Crappies are highly sensitive to movement and will not take a lure even if it appears alive, even if it looks real.

Jigs are one of the most popular artificial crappie lures. Jigs come in various materials such as tinsel, feathers, and hair and come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. When combined with small floats or bobbers to keep them above where crappies swim, these baits become even more desirable to crappie.

Another popular crappie jig is a two-rod rig, which involves connecting two wires crossed at 90 degrees with a fishing line and hook-equipped leaders at their ends. A central lure is attached to this position, and multiple hook-equipped lures are received at various distances from their rod end loops.

In addition to wire rigs, many crappie jigs come with an interchangeable head system that enables anglers to quickly and easily switch out lure bodies and colors. Doing this allows anglers to match their baits to whatever crappies are feeding on at any given time, increasing the odds that a bite will occur.

Other types of jigs exist, such as those with a fixed head. These can be effective when the water is clear but less reliable when the lake or weather conditions are murky or stained.

Crappies often feed on minnows, crawdads, and other baitfish. To attract crappies to your lure, dangle the bait under a float and slowly roll or jig with a light pencil bobber that can go underwater with minimal resistance. The movement of the float helps attract crappies who typically sight feed from below.

Plastic Lures

Crappie fishing often relies on the size of the hook rather than its color. Bright hues like red or chartreuse may work well in stained water, but sometimes fish are more interested in a lure’s action than its hue.

Anglers can select jigs in a range of colors, such as black and red. These jigs are excellent options for targeting suspended or pre-spawn crappie.

Many fishermen prefer the Slab Buster Crappie Jig, available in 2 inch and 2.5 inch models. Each jig features a solid cylindrical body with an active, thin tail section to attract crappie. Furthermore, these lures have secret cavities where you can apply any scent—including fish odor—for even greater attention from fish.

These jigs can be fished vertically, trolled, or cast in shallow and open water. Their sausage-shaped head prevents them from rolling away and helps you set your hook correctly.

Kentucky experiences crappie spawning annually between April and May. At this time, these fish tend to move from deeper water to shallower cover, such as laydowns, flooded limbs, brush piles, or riprap along lakeshore roadways or boat ramps.

To locate concentrations of crappie, use long-line trolling to probe creek channels and adjacent flats for cover. Depending on the depth of the channel and the amount of cover you’re seeking, you can fish jigs down as deep as 20-25 feet or as shallowly as 4-6 feet.

Once you locate the area, cast a Thill or Eagle Claw float or bobber down below your jig. Place the bait two to three feet beneath the float and slowly work it until a crappie bites.

When a slab speck takes your plastic bait, the bobber will quiver and slowly start sinking, indicating that the crappie has taken it. Furthermore, its slender design allows you to use a lighter weight than with standard floats for bait.

Topwater Lures

Crappies can be one of the most challenging species to catch with artificial lures. They tend to be aggressive and difficult to fool, but fortunately, various baits are available to help you catch them.

For optimal results, opt for a lure designed to be seen. This is often accomplished using topwater lures.

A topwater lure should also feature a bright color that contrasts with the water around it. This will guarantee that fish will see the lure when submerged.

Topwater crappie lures come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some even have an attachable float that can be adjusted when needed. When selecting the perfect lure for your area, consider all relevant factors.

The float can be constructed of plastic or other readily visible material. Ideally, its size should allow it to sink slowly without coming loose from its hook.

Another option is a bobber, which serves as an excellent strike indicator for crappies. These floats come in all different sizes and colors and should work well on most lakes.

Floats should be constructed of a robust material that won’t break or peel off when submerged in water. They should be at least 2 inches in diameter, with an attached stainless steel wire tight-fitting bobber that won’t let go when submerged in the lure.

You should choose a float that is easy for fish to see. Most anglers opt for an unassuming, streamlined design with few parts. Furthermore, make sure the float’s material is lightweight and easily buoyant.

Diving Lures

Crappie Diving Lure: These large crankbaits can be an effective lure when fishing for crappie in deep, clear reservoirs during cold weather. When winter crappies are deeper and lethargic, these baits should be trolled slowly near their typical hiding places.

When selecting a diving lure, consider the color of the water and how much sunlight can penetrate it. Light refraction in rough seas may cause certain lures’ colors to fade quickly, an issue commonly encountered when fishing offshore with topwater lures.

Red, including lighter pinks, has a long wavelength and will fade at a depth of 30 feet or less. On days with less sunlight, yellow is not recommended for offshore fishing as it will begin to fade as soon as it starts swimming.

The green color has a shorter wavelength and will remain vibrant as the lure swims to 70 ft of depth. On the other hand, violet has an extremely short wavelength and will fade away at around 120 feet of depth.

These colors are highly sought after on the ocean. They are often combined to resemble the color pattern of a Mahi-Mahi, one of the prized fish species in pelagic waters. These two hues become particularly effective when combined with other hues to form multi-colored lures that attract pelagic species.

Pink is another color that can be attractive to a range of pelagics. It is the primary hue used in many topwater baits, and when combined with yellow, green, or blue, it increases their visibility.

Utilizing a lipless crankbait in combination with the Carolina rig can be an effective winter strategy for ice-water slabs. These lures can be slowly trolled on the bottom of large reservoirs with a herky-jerky retrieve and placed near typical crappie hiding places. Some anglers tie a swivel onto their main line and add bullet weights to help keep their lure on the bottom.

TOP 5 Colors for Crappie | How to catch Crappie in SUMMER

Other Crappie Articles

PinYummlyLinkedInShares164