How to Catch Giant Crappies on Lipless Crankbaits

Wired2Fish’s Kyle Peterson instructs how to find mega schools of nomadic basin crappies during the fall months and trigger them into biting using micro lipless crankbaits like the Yo-Zuri Rattl’n Vibe. We’ve covered this tactic for crappies while ice fishing, but it works equally well in open water – experience has taught us that bigger profiled baits coupled with sound and vibration allow you to target the biggest fish in the school.

FEATURED PRODUCT (remaining links at bottom):

Yo-Zuri Rattl’n Vibe Mini, color: UV Matte Zombi
Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 106sv w/ Transducer | Chartplotter
Garmin Panoptix LiveScope™ System | Live Scanning Sonar
Falcon BuCoo SR Spinning Rod, 7′ Med Lt
Daiwa Exceler LT Spinning, XLT1000D
Seaguar Smackdown Braided Line Flash Green, 10lb
Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon, 6lb

Kyle explains his scalable scanning method to find areas of interest on the big motor, then how Garmin Panoptix LiveScope brings the school to life; your graph essentially becomes aquarium glass while you watch the fish swim around in real-time. Peterson explains how this aids in keeping your boat off the fish while allowing for precise casts to the leading and top edge of the school. This method maximizes bites while minimizing spooking, whereas pulling fish from the bottom, middle of the pack often disperses the school.

The right rod and line are essential for detecting deep bites while also compensating for the use of light-wire hooks and paper-thin mouths of crappies. Peterson explains his preference for light braid to a fluorocarbon leader and how a light-power rod rounds out his setup.