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I was out last Sunday and crappie were eating minnows voraciously. My buddy was killing them on a minnnow suspended under a bobber. I had on a foam popper, which only enticed bluegills. Will crappie eat sinking type flies or do I have to suspend. minnows? I've never fished for them with flies.
Thanks
OH yeah they will. One of the biggest crappie I caught was on a black wolly bugger!
One of my go too & favorite crappie flies is Al Campbell's Crappie Candy which basically a streamer. It was the first fly I used that was excellent for crappies and gills. Actually any of the traditional trout flies crappies will go after depending on the time of the year.
Mike
Look up the Goldie Jr and boa yarn flies in the FOTW files.
They work well for crappie.
Rick
Rick is right about a yellow boa yarn leech working well for crappies! :) Unweighted chartreuse Woolly Buggers, too.
One of my most consistent producers in the past couple of years has been a chartreuse 1/80 oz microjig suspended about 18" beneath an indicator. Your magic depth may vary.
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My favorite strike indicators for this lately have been the Fish Pimp strike indicators...original size, yellow color.
http://www.fishpimpco.com/product/fish-pimp-original/
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As you've heard already, the answer is heck yeah. I've caught tons of them on Carter's Sculpin by Carter Nelson. This pattern works fantastic for large bream and bass when tied in all black. While I catch some crappie on the black version, I also tie it in bright colors of red and white or chartruese and white. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxc3azavAv8
I also use small polar fiber minnows tied on a size 10 2XL hook and have caught a whole mess of very real nice 16 inch long crappie.
Jim Smith
A sink tip line may be useful also, to get the streamer down to the crappie, in the large lake I fish the depth under the bridges may be 30 feet.
Clouser type streamers with beadchain eyes in sizes 4 & 6 are my go-to crappie fly. I like them to ride hook up near sticks and brush to keep hang-ups to a minimum.
L/C,
The keys to successful crappie fishing, regardless of gear, is Depth and Speed control.
Crappie are seldom all that picky about which fly. But you got to put it in the right place at the right speed. Crappie often like slow or barely moving, so 'suspending' your fly under an indicator and using a hand twist retrieve is often very effective.
Remember that crappie are fish eaters whenever possible, so minnow imitations are usually the most effective patterns.
Good Luck!
All good stuff so far. Don't be afraid to match local forage. In some of our local lakes I have caught crappie on 2 to
4 inch long streamers intended to imitate threadfin shad. Have also taken crappie on topwater with gurglers, Dahlberg divers, pencil poppers, foam poppers and such. Suspending flies under an indicator and fishing slowly has been the most consistently productive method on my local waters. Topwater is the most fun when it works which is usually a dawn or dusk thing.
Clouser minnows size 4-10 and #12 black furled mohair leeches are my favorite patterns to use. Crappie are fun!
[QUOTE=Buddy Sanders;499019]L/C,
The keys to successful crappie fishing, regardless of gear, is Depth and Speed control.
Crappie are seldom all that picky about which fly. But you got to put it in the right place at the right speed. Crappie often like slow or barely moving, so 'suspending' your fly under an indicator and using a hand twist retrieve is often very effective."
To echo what Buddy said. Yesterday I was catching crappie fairly easily provided I I moved the fly super super slow.
Tim
Oh, yeah ... crappies are fun to catch on the long rod, and they eat real good, too!
Wet flies like the Olive Palmer and the Blue Dun work good for me. Streamers, too ~ Black Nosed Dace and the Muddler Minnow work well, too.
I have caught them on a Midnight Fire Bugger, White Crystal Bugger, Bead Head Prince Nymph and an Olive softhackle nymph. I use a Y connection with two flies. I was running a Midnight Fire and the White Crystal and I had several doubles.
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