37 Tips: Complete Guide to Catch More & Bigger Crappie
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Crappie are one of the most sought-after sportfish in North America. They are known for their aggressively fighting, voracious appetite, and excellent tasting meat on the dinner table. You need to learn how to catch crappie in order to land as many as you truly can.
How do you catch crappie? In order to catch crappie, you need to first locate crappie depending on their seasonal behavior and environmental cues, then you need to know which approach is best suited for that situation, and lastly, you need to properly match the bait type and bait size to catch big crappie.
Many anglers get lucky and catch crappie by accident. This isn’t good enough. For you to catch more and larger crappie, you need to learn the ins and outs of crappie fishing.
In this article, I will take you through a comprehensive breakdown of crappie fishing based on seasons, methods for catching crappie, how to properly select a crappie bait and lure color, and also where to locate crappie on a given lake system.
Lastly, I have provided 40+ proven effective tips to catch crappie in all seasons and conditions. I couldn’t find a comprehensive how-to guide for catching crappie online that truly covers every facet of crappie angling so I decided to create one myself. I hope you find tremendous value.
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Methods for Catching Bigger Crappie
Vertical Jigging
Jigging lures vertically has proven very effective for crappie. A method I really like using is to drop my jig right down to the bottom and set it a foot up. Slowly jig your lure for about 30 seconds. Then lift the lure up another foot and repeat. Keep doing this until your bait is visible with the naked eye.
Then drop your jig back down and redo the process. I have found that crappie higher up in the water column are less aggressive than the ones down deeper.
By hooking these lower crappie and pulling them up through the docile ones, sometimes this can excite the crappie and make them more willing to feed.
Bobber Rig
One of the most commonly used crappie methods is using a bobber rig. Attach a small float or bobber the desired length above your lure. This is very important. Select a small lure like a marabou jig, a tube jig, or a small spoon. Crappie like gradual movements. Unlike walleye and bass, they do not like erratic motions.
The trick is to let the bobber do the work. Simply drag your bobber slowly then let it rest. The lure will lift up when the bobber is in motion and then arch down and forward when the bobber is stopped.
This subtle action is ideal for crappie in all seasons. Crappie fishermen swear by this method and it is effective and simple.
Live Bait (Minnows & Shad)
My favorite live bait to use for crappie are fathead minnows but small shad work really well too, particularly in the fall. Use a long-shank size 6 j-hook as this will allow the minnow to remain alive much longer, prevent the barb from re-piercing the minnow, and make hook removal a lot easier.
Run the hook through the upper lip and out one of the nostrils. This will do minimal damage to the minnow and allow it to remain lively.
Use a single small split shot to keep the minnow from swimming to the surface where crappie are not. You can use a bobber or free-line the minnow. Fish minnows under docks, by submerged wood, by bridge pillars, or over thick weed beds.
Casting (under docks)
During the summer and early fall months, I can think of no better place to fish crappie than under docks. Crappie love docks at least 3 feet deep. Heck, you can catch crappie under docks in 15 feet of water.
The key to successful dock fishing is to drop minnows and jigs straight down vertically if you are standing on them. If you have the luxury of a boat, cast along the edges first then work your way under the docks.
Most big crappie will be back far under the dock in the center of the shade. Cast your baits as far back there as you can get it. If you are fishing on a calm day, you can skip small lures on the surface like you would skip a rock.
Ice Fishing
When ice fishing for crappie, locating them is the toughest part. Be prepared to dig many holes in search of pockets of crappie. Also, be prepared to re-locate after a few fish as winter crappie can be scattered.
Focus on deep basin holes as well underwater humps, points, and where you know weeds are. If you don’t know where weeds are, fish basins.
You can jig lures like spoons and jigs. Jigs seem to perform best jigged a foot off the bottom and spoons do better fished mid-water. You can also jig minnows and wax worms with good success.
How to Catch Crappie Year-Round
Spring
After ice-out, crappie move into mucky-bottom bays where the shallow water will heat up first. These locations draw in baitfish that the crappie eagerly devour.
As the spawn kicks in, crappie move onto shallow harder bottom areas like gravel and sand. They can be caught during the spawn but you’ll need to suspend your baits above their beds to trigger aggression bites.
Spring Tips
1. Fish Muck-Bottom Bays after Ice Melt
After ice melt, crappie will seek out the warmest water in a lake. This is usually going to be mucky-bottom bays typically in the northern end of the lake.
The angle of the slope and the muddy bottom absorb more sunlight and warm up the water. This is where crappie will head pre-spawn.
2. Look for Weeds
In these northern bays with muddy bottoms, find patches of weeds. Crappie spent all winter consuming mostly plankton and an occasional fish. Now they are really wanting minnows and shad.
They will head into the weed pockets in search of fish to eat. This is where you need to fish and use minnow or shad patterns.
3. Look for Harder Bottoms During Spawn
During the spawn, crappie move off softer bottoms and seek out harder surfaces. Look for sandy or gravel bottoms which is where they build their spawning beds. A great place to locate these grounds is to look for harder bottoms near thick pockets of weeds.
4. Hold Jig Over Beds
Often times during the spawn, crappie won’t want to eat or leave their beds to eat. Instead, bring the food to them. Hover your baits right over their beds to elicit a strike. Instead of putting food in their house or in their kitchen, you need to put the food right on their dinner plate.
5. Fish Slow
Fishing slow is the name of the game for crappie year-round. Spring is no exception, especially during the spawn.
6. Only Keep What You Need
Many states allow large bag-limits for crappie daily. If you value a crappie lake, don’t take 30 crappie a day every day. You can’t eat that much fish and you could hurt your lake’s population if you and a few other guys are removing hundreds of crappie per day.
7. Keep Eaters, Release Giants
During the spring, keep “eater” fish in the 9-11” range. Let go crappie larger than 12-inches as these fish are the best breeders and can produce a lot more offspring than smaller crappie. Let the giants go for the future of your crappie fishing.
Summer
Most anglers assume crappie go down deep during the summer and are uncatchable. This is not true. Many crappie will remain in relatively shallow water under docks, weeds, bridge pilings, and among trees.
The reason many anglers don’t catch summer crappie is that they are fishing in the wrong spot or they are fishing midday.
Crappie will stop feeding midday but bite heavily near sunset and sunrise. They will also bite aggressively at night when the moon is full.
Summer Crappie Fishing Tips
1. Myth #1 Crappie are Down Deep
Many anglers assume all crappie are down deep during the summer. It is true many crappie will go deep where the water is cooler but not all. Many crappie will be shallow and use structure like docks, bridge pilings, and timber to ambush food and beat the heat.
2. Myth #2 Crappie Won’t Bite
This is another myth and it’s less true than the 1st one. Crappie will bite very aggressively during the summer but you need to find them first.
You also need to fish low-light situations around sunrise and sunset. Most people who say you can’t catch summer crappie are fishing in the wrong locations and during midday when they can get away from yard work.
3. Fish Docks
During the summer, fish the docks. Crappie will utilize shallow-water docks in as shallow of water as 3 feet and deeper marina docks that could dropoff to 25 feet. These are great places to find crappie as they provide cool water, shade, and plenty of food.
4. Cast Far Under Docks
It is a good idea when fishing docks to cast your baits as far under the docks as you can get them. Large crappie like to rest far back under the protection of docks.
If It’s a calm day with little wind chop on the water, you can cast your lure really hard and skip it like you would a stone on the surface of the water for extra distance.
5. Docks, Bridge Pillars, Weeds, and Timber
These are where you need to focus your time during the summer. Crappie will head for these structure features.
6. Use Bobber Rigs
A bobber rig is a great way to deliver a lure to crappie in a slow methodical way to ensure the bait remains in the strike zone teasing a crappie as long as possible.
Any small bobber or float will do. Bobber rigs work really good fishing over thick weeds as they’ll keep your lure out of the vegetation and free of snags.
7. Weeds Near Deep Water
Crappie love weeds during the summer. The summer also rings about extensive weed growth in a lake. To better locate good weeds that will hold crappie, remember crappie also love deeper water.
Look for big weed pockets adjacent to deeper dropoffs. These weeds will hold baitfish and oftentimes, a lot of crappie.
8. Don’t Fall in Love with One Weed Patch
Not every weed patch will hold fish. Even the juiciest weed patch near the sharpest dropoff may not be attractive to crappie.
Just because it looks great to you doesn’t mean it is worth more than a few minutes fishing. Freely bounce around from weed pocket to weed pocket until you find the crappie.
9. Switch Up Colors
Don’t hesitate to swap out lure colors if fish aren’t biting. You may find they ignore pink but eat white. Likewise, if you have been catching crappie on one color but the bite stops, switch colors before moving elsewhere.
It could be crappie wise up and notice all their buddies were getting caught on pink so they should not bite pink. Throw a white or yellow in there and see if you can trick them.
Fall
During the fall, look for shad in shallow bays. Crappie follow the shad in the fall. If you find crappie near the surface, you will find crappie.
Look into back bays and near creek inlets. Live shad and shad-pattern lures will be your ticket. I think tube jigs and shad swimbaits will work best.
Fall Crappie Tips
1. Look for Shad
During the fall, shad are a crappie’s favorite food. If you find shad, you will find crappie. Look in back bays and near the mouths of creeks. You may be able to spot them on the surface or with sonar.
2. Weeds Near Deep Water
Crappie love feeding in weeds that are near deep water. Crappie will pile into the weeds looking for baitfish then draw back into the deeper water where they can suspend. Look for large pockets of weeds near deeper water and fish these weeds thoroughly.
3. Crappie Scatter During Fall Turnover
During the fall turnover when the water in lakes essentially flips from cool water on the bottom in summer to cool water on top in winter, crappie can become very hard to find. Crappie will scatter and even if you locate a few, you will need to move to catch more. Again, find the shad first.
4. Downsize Everything
During the fall, downsize your entire setup. Go with a lighter fishing line, smaller fishing hooks, smaller lures, and smaller baits. Also, fish everything slower and more methodically. Crappie slow way down in the fall so slow down for them.
5. Thermocline Dissolves
During the summer, the thermocline in a lake can make the bottom section of the water column void of dissolved oxygen, this means crappie can only live in the upper 2/3 of the water.
In the fall, the thermocline dissolves making the entire water column capable of supporting crappie. This means crappie will become more scattered and tougher to find.
6. Use Sonar to Find Bait Balls
I recommend using a good fish finder sonar with side-imaging capabilities. Use your sonar to locate large bait balls. They will look like big black blogs with small white specs inside the black. These small white specs are crappie and other predators lunging into the bait to feed.
7. Winter Transition Can Be Tough
This is simply a tough time to catch crappie. It can be done but don’t expect great fishing. The winter transition usually occurs mid-November in the north until early December in the south.
8. Minnow/Jig Rig
A great way to catch fall crappie is by rigging a minnow up higher on your line and a jig down low. Crappie use their senses of sight, smell, and feel to detect food.
If you rub a little Slab Sauce or similar crappie attractant on the lure, the lure will trigger a crappie’s sense of sight and smell. The vibrations the struggling minnow gives off will appeal to the sense of feel.
You may find crappie only want to eat the minnow or only want to eat the lure. But if you fish with only one of them, you will catch less crappie. They help the other draw in fish.
Winter
During the winter, look for deeper pockets of water. You can catch crappie through the ice by jigging live bait, small spoons, or jigs over known humps, weeds, or in deeper basins. Make sure you slow your approach way down and also downsize.
Use small minnows, smaller lures, smaller hooks, and lighter fishing line. If you can get away with it, use 2-lb. test mono. Don’t use braid as the ice will cut your line at the slightest abrasion.
In lakes that don’t freeze over, large marinas can be good spots to locate winter crappie. Fish very slowly around and under docks. Downsize your baits and fishing line. Also, make sure to fish very slowly.
Locate Crappie by Lake-Type
Farm Ponds/Potholes: When fishing in smaller bodies of water, the topography is key. Look for features that break up the pond and draw in fish. Examples include steeper sides of a deeper hole and a point. These areas can attract crappie. Fish these spots especially if the point is adjacent to deeper water.
Shallow Lakes: Anytime you are fishing for winter crappie in shallow lakes, focus on weeds. These shallow lakes will have plenty of weed growth. Crappie will congregate in pockets where weed patches are thickest hunting for food. During the winter when minnows and shad are more scarce, crappie will live among weeds to catch food.
Deep Lakes: In deep lakes, crappie will move down into the deeper basins. In cold water, crappie will seek out of the warmest water to be found. This usually occurs in deeper water and large basins are a great place to search for crappie. Basins can be huge and crappie can be very scattered. Be prepared to drill plenty of holes and bounce around often chasing the bites.
Drainages/Flowages: When fishing for winter crappie in drainages, focus on the main river channel. These channels of current will hold the most amount of crappie. Stub fields can also be a big-time crappie sanctuary during the winter especially if the stumps are near current or deeper water drop-offs.
Winter Crappie Fishing Tips
1. Check Out Marinas
Marinas are great locations to fish for crappie in lakes that don’t freeze over. Slowly fish minnows, jigs, and spoons between and under docks. Docks in or right beside deep water can be really good crappie spots. Don’t stick in one spot too long as crappie can be very scattered.
2. Downsize Everything
In the winter, downsize everything. This is means use smaller hooks. Swap out the 1/16oz. jig for the 1/32oz. jig. Use a lighter fishing line.
Go right down to 1 or 2-pound test. Use smaller lures, baits, and minnows. And most importantly, slow down. Slow way down to catch these sluggish winter crappie.
3. Weeds, Points, Humps, or Deep Basins
These are the key crappie features you should focus on what fishing for crappie in winter. These apply to ice-covered lakes and warmer lakes.
Crappie will be at one or all of these features. I would personally check out weeds first as this is where you are most likely going to find them the easiest and where they’ll be the tightest stacked.
4. Fish Deep Side of Underwater Point
If you locate an underwater point on your mapping software, focus your efforts first and foremost on the side of the point that is deepest.
Crappie love stacking off points where they can feed in shallow water and back off into deeper water to suspend. These deeper sides of points will hold the most crappie.
5. Find Crappie in Basins
Deep basins are key crappie locations in winter. These areas are usually huge and finding them can seem daunting. Look for the steepest side of the deep basin (where the contour lines are tightest). Fish here first. Crappie love drop-offs and these are big staging areas for winter crappie.
6. Jigs Up High, Jigging Rap Down Low
I have found that crappie higher in the water column seem to prefer marabou jigs and crappies down on the bottom like jigging raps. Fish your marabou jigs half-way down and your jigging raps about 1-3 feet off the bottom.
7. Hit Weeds First
The easiest location to find winter crappie is on thick weed beds. This is where crappie will stack at in highest concentrations. Fish weeds first before any other crappie-attracting feature.
8. Basin if You Don’t Weed Location
If you don’t know where weeds are or you are fishing a new lake covered in ice, don’t waste your time trying to locate weeds. Instead, head right for the deep basin(s).
Deep basins are certain to hold a lot of crappie. Just remember, crappie will be very spread out in huge deep basins so it will take a lot more work and luck to locate them.
9. Fish at First & Last Light
Crappie are low-light predators. This rule also applies to the winter. Crappie seem to bite really well just after sunrise and in the waning hours of sunlight near sunset. The bite may continue on into the midday sun or it may shut off entirely.
10. Use Lights at Night to Attract Fish
I have never tried this myself but I’ve watched a lot of online videos where crappie fishermen using special LED lamps just beneath the ice to draw in crappie.
The lights will draw in plankton and tiny fish first, then crappie later on. Be patient, and if you position yourself on a productive part of the lake, you’ll draw in crappie.
11. Be Prepared to Dig Many Holes
Winter crappie are tough to find. Even if you do catch a couple, they can be so scattered you may need to move repeatedly to keep finding new crappie to hit.
You will probably dig 15+ holes just to locate your first crappie and many more by the end of the day. Gas augers are a blessing.
How to Catch Crappie from Bank
When fishing for crappie from the bank, look for structure near shore. Crappie will come near shore, especially in the spring but will associate heavily with prominent cover or structure.
Just like fishing for any species from shore with lures, always cast at 45-degree angles instead of straight out as this will allow your lure to be in the strike zone for a longer period of time at specific depths crappie are feeding.
When fishing with bait or lures, cast just beyond rocks. Crappie will often hang out right on these margins a few feet from shore. Slowly move your lure along.
A slip bobber is a great tool for catching crappie from shore as they will allow you fish vertically but cast the bait far from shore for scenarios where crappie are suspended more than a few feet from shore.
When fishing in a river or stream, look for fallen trees. Every river will have fall trees hanging into the water. If you find a fallen tree with a nice current pushing into it, that is a great spot to fish.
Not all trees will hold crappie, so search until you find one with fish. Crappie will hold tight amongst the tree so you will need to work your baits vertically within the branches. If possible, stand on the logs and work your bait vertically among the branches.
Best Live Baits for Crappie
1. Minnows: I personally think fathead minnows are the best live bait for crappie. I have caught more crappie on minnows than any other bait. This sentiment is echoed by many crappie anglers. 1-2 inch minnows work best.
2. Shad: If minnows are my #1, shad are my 1A. Shad are a major food source for crappie in many watersheds. In fact, during the fall, crappie prefer shad over any other bait source.
3. Shiners: I really like using small shiners for crappie during the winter and spring. If you can get your hands on shiners in the 1 to 2.5-inch range, you can catch big crappie.
4. Small Bluegills: Baby bluegills under 2 inches long can be good crappie bait. Bluegills and crappie occur naturally in many of the same waters so you can bet crappie are making meals of tiny bluegills, especially in the summer.
5. Wax Worms: For ice fishing, wax worms are one of the best crappie baits. Rig 1 or 2 wax worms on a small 1/32oz tungsten or lead bald jighead.
6. Earthworms: I think worms can be a pretty good summer and early fall crappie bait. Just be careful. You will catch a lot more bluegills, bullheads, and trout than crappie on worms.
Honorable Mention: Grasshoppers, yellow perch, mealworms, small frogs, small crayfish
Best Lures for Crappie
There are many lures that can catch crappie but most serious crappie anglers rely heavily on just a few specific types of lures. These seem to catch the most crappie by far.
Tube (Squid) Jig
These things are awesome in the summer and early fall. Focus on jigs 1 to 2-inches long. I prefer two-toned colors with dark and light contrast.
Pink/white, red/yellow, and black/pink are my favorites. Fish these very slowly under a bobber rig. Move the bobber slowly and let the bobber move the jig. Works great over weeds, under docks, and alongside sunken timber.
Marabou Jig
This is the classic crappie bait. You can fish these year-round, even through the ice, for great results. I really like dark jigheads with yellow, light green, white, or pink dressing.
Those color contrasts make it easier for crappie to see them in all water types and they are attractive to crappie. I like using a bobber rig to make sure you fish them nice and slow.
Grub Jig
Small grubs work really well on bald-head jig hooks. Use a 1/32-ounce or 1/16-ounce jig and a 1 to 2-inch grub. You can select grubs with flat “beaver” tails, twisty tails, or straight tails.
They work really well. Yellows, pinks, reds, and whites are my favorites. Fish these very slow around docks, bridge pillars, and along the bank pre-spawn.
Swimbait
There are a variety of really good swimbaits on the market for crappie. I really like Gulp! Minnows as a swimbait.
You can use the 2-inch variety but I think you’ll catch a lot more crappie the 1-inchers. Attach them to a small 1/32 or 1/16oz. jig hook. Try to select patterns that look like natural food. Minnows and shad are my favorite patterns.
Jigging Rap
These can work vertically jigged year-round around cover and structure, but they really shine in winter ice fishing. You’ll find that crappie respond best to these when jigged a foot off the bottom in winter. Fire tiger, yellow perch, and minnow are great jigging rap patterns for crappie.
PowerBait Crappie Nibbles
These little baits can work well mashed onto a small bait hook but I think you’d be much better off smearing them along the sides of other lures as an additional crappie attractant.
They have a great scent to draw in crappie and a taste to make them hold on to your lure just a little longer. You can also hook a small piece of crappie nibble on your lure’s hook. They do work really well.
Note: Some crappie anglers find success with small spoons dressed with feathers and small crankbaits. These can catch crappie but only under specific conditions and only if they are fished very slow. The above six highlighted lures should be your go-to for crappie
Best Colors for Crappie Lures
Crappie lures come in many colors. I have found that 2-tone lures work better as a contrast of say black and yellow are more likely to be seen than simply a black lure or a yellow lure. By using 2 colors, you are increasing the likelihood crappie will be able to see at least one of the colors.
#1 Pink: Pink is very visible in all clarity levels of water. Crappie really seem to like pink, especially light pink. This is probably the best crappie color.
#2 Yellow/Chartreuse: Yellow is very visible in most water types. Works really well when paired on a 2-tone lure with green, black, or red. This is a big-time crappie color.
#3 White: White is a great neutral color than stands out very well in dark, muddy, and even clear water. Easy for crappie to detect, I like finding lures that are contrasted 2-tone with a red, a black, or a blue. Great in low-light situations.
#4 Red: Red is a very good crappie color. I like pairing with white and yellow. Black can work too. Great color for year-round crappies.
#5 Green: Green is a good color for clearer water. It may be tougher for crappie to see in muddy water or low-light though. Green works best when paired with yellow or white.
