Crappie fishing in the spring is an excellent time to find and catch of bunch of fish, but you need to know where to look. We shared a day in the boat with Wally Marshall (aka Mr. Crappie) for a lesson in finding spring crappies relating to weedlines and how to catch them using a proven jig and plastic combination.
TACKLE USED
- PLASTIC – Strike King Mr. Crappie ShadPole, Pepper Shad
- JIG – Strike King Mr. Crappie Slab Slasher Jig Head, 1/8-ounce
- ROD – Lew’s Mr. Crappie Signature Series Rod, 7′ Ultralight
- REEL – Lew’s Mr. Crappie Signature Series Spinning Reel
- LINE – Lew’s Mr. Crappie Hi-Vis Monofilament Line, 6-pound
* Additional links at the bottom.
Spring finds crappies in transition from deeper wintering haunts to the shallows, where to relate to grass edges to feed and eventually spawn. Wally explains his typical method for finding productive grasslines using 360 Imaging or basic 2D sonar — the key with both is to identify pockets or irregularities, which tend to congregate fish.
Position your boat just off the grass line, and fan casts the area with a small jig and plastic, reeling just fast enough that the 1/8-ounce jig ticks the weed tops. Marshall prefers a quality 7-foot rod paired with a high-visibility monofilament line. Bites can be hard to detect with feel, whereas movement such as a jump with a hi-vis line gives it away. In this informative video, Mr. Crappie shares his favorite rod, reel, and line setup, along with a bunch of other pointers.
ELECTRONICS
- FISH FINDER – Humminbird HELIX 12 MEGA SI+ GPS G4N
- FISH FINDER – Humminbird MEGA 360 Imaging
- TROLLING MOTOR – Minn Kota Ultrex Trolling Motor
Check out our Crappie Fishing Tips and Videos playlist for more helpful crappie fishing content.
