Honest experts will tell you they don’t always catch crappies. Consistency is difficult, whether it’s wind, a cold front, the wrong moon phase or crappies with full bellies. Sometimes, the reason is never found by the fisherman. Here, several experts share their thoughts on what it takes to improve your odds of catching crappies on every trip.

Old-school basics

“I’m old school,” says Louie Mansfield, Grizzly Jig Company owner, who has national tournament wins and thousands of hours of fishing experience. “I use my electronics, but not the new stuff. I prefer fishing, rather than watching a screen all day long. It’s what I grew up doing and what I enjoy.

“Today’s young fishermen with high-tech electronics are better and quicker at finding fish. Not every weekend fisherman has the time or money for that approach, but a fisherman can still catch fish. A basic sonar unit may take more time when searching, but a fisherman using one can find productive depths, contours and fish. Because basic sonar is easier to use, it’s probably a good choice for a fisherman who doesn’t go often.

“Being consistent, using old-school methods, requires using a sonar and staying on the move. Experience on the water is a big factor, too. Being consistent takes work and learning the fish.”

Find, pattern and catch

“Finding and catching crappies isn’t always easy. Experts struggle, too,” says Brad Chappell, guide and Crappie Connection podcaster.

“Catching is about finding fish, but it’s also about quickly finding a pattern and effectively catching them. I’ll give you an example. The last week of December, I went to a lake and started at a community spot that had about 15 boats there. I didn’t see anyone catching fish, but there were a lot of fish showing up in the water on my fish locator. I didn’t catch fish there either, but unlike the others, I didn’t stay,” says Chappell.

“I moved shallower and started fishing the top of the ledge. I quickly learned that the active fish were there. They had moved up from the deeper water to feed and we were catching them. Nobody was fishing there because they were seeing a lot of fish in open water.”

Chappell says a fisherman with less experience may have trouble picking up on the details of what is going on while fishing. “The solution is to keep an open mind and eliminate pre-conceived ideas about where fish should be caught. A fisherman should be quick to change depths and areas until active fish are found.”

Chappell uses the most modern forward-facing sonar, but he still does a lot of trolling with crankbaits and jigs, too. He likes trolling jigs because the method covers a lot of water and is easy to use for his clients during guide trips. In February and March, the water starts warming and crappies turn on to moving baits.

FFS and baits

“Forward-facing sonar (FFS) has changed fishing,” says 2022 Crappie USA Champ Terry Adams. “I grew up spider rigging with my dad and grandpa until two years ago. When I spider rigged, I stayed in one area for a long time because it took a while to set everything up and pull everything back in, and covering water took time. Today, I run-and-gun a lot. I seldom stay in one spot for long. Ten minutes is enough time to know if there are active fish.

“I keep three poles rigged with different baits. I’ll have a Jenko plastic jig, a hair jig and usually a minnow rig. If a fish won’t bite one of them, I can quickly switch to another one.”

Adams says, “I’m always looking for big fish, and no one bait is always best. It could be a certain size, type or color. Fish preference can quickly change, so I’m changing, too.

“Presenting baits can be a challenge in deep water. Crappies don’t always like a big, heavy jig. So, I often use a 1/32- or a 1/64-ounce. I’ll cast to the cover or to a fish suspended in the water. The fish often take the smaller bait. Casting works best to keep a distance from the fish to avoid spooking them,” says Adams.

“However, in wind, current or other situations, a lightweight bait won’t work. I’ll switch to a long pole and place a weight above the small jig. I’ll use up to a 1/2-ounce sinker a foot or so above the bait. The sinker gets the bait down in a hurry and is easy to see on the LiveScope. The small jig will slowly fall under the sinker. I can fish shallow or 30 feet deep with this rig.

“There are a lot of bait options. I’ll usually start with a 1/8-ounce Jenko Super Fry in dirty milk (monkey milk color) because it resembles a shad. I like a larger bait when the fish will hit it. If they don’t want this bait, I’ll swap to a smaller, 1/32-ounce hair jig. They’ll often wear the hair jig out when they won’t touch the larger plastic. My absolute last choice is a minnow, but sometimes it will work when fish don’t want a jig.

“People always ask about colors. I like the milky color in any color water. Natural color baits are good in clear water. In muddy water, I like orange-chartreuse and black-chartreuse.”

Consistently catching crappies isn’t an accident. Sticking to good, solid tactics will result in more fish on the end of your line.

Looking for more ways to increase your catch rate? You’ll find plenty of suggestion in every issue of MidWest Outdoors. Subscribe on our website.