I live on a 22 acre “lake” that has a fair population of crappies. When I’ve caught them over the years its been on minnows in the spring and curly tailed grubs in the fall using spinning gear. While I’m not opposed to using spinning gear I’d really rather figure out how to catch the crappie with a fly rod on something I’ve tied. Since the fish are average better than a pound and a quarter and considering how tasty they are, I’d really like to know if others have figured out to take this species reliably on a fly rod. Any suggestions will be appreciated and tested (assuming I can tie the flies).
Nice fluffy Hares Ear Nymphs in sizes 8-10 , Small Wooly Buggers 8-10 and Crappie Candy that you can search here on the site all work VERY well Crappie.
I have found pretty much anything that falls through the water fairly slowly will fool them, just be careful to feel the slight tick of the bite and set the hook…timing is the key but once you get that down you can often catch on almost every catch on the fly rod if you can locate a school of them.
Try “fly” versions of what you’ve been using with your spinning gear. Use some small clousers (#8) use calf-tail instead of bucktail, you’ll have better action on the smaller sizes. Also tie up some curly tailed buggers.
go to the features section and read the pan fish and warm water articles. Written by crappie junkies, great reading to kill the shack nasties, and full of good tips.
On the article on Rick’s flies I think the Marabou Miss is listed. I really like the Marabou Miss in yellow or white or chartreuse.
Another choice that has worked for me is a woolly bugger, either with or without hackle. One with an orange tail and olive body and a small bead has worked for me.
Sinking line…don’t know as I haven’t used one, I have a 7 foot sink tip that I occasionally use but for deeper holding Crappie I really can’t help…I generally target them when they are shallow, holding to structure.
As for the set-up, generally I use a pretty standard 7-9 foot leader with 2 or 3x tippett and let the flies sort of tumble down and find that a nice smooth, sweeping type retrieve brings the follow, the strike and also sort of starts the hook set at the same time…the timing comes together like a rythm after you hook a few.
I can cover vast amounts of lake shore simply by roll casting tight to cover and slowly lifting the rod tip for a combination retrieve and set up for the next roll cast…when they are on, a catch every cast or two is not unusual.
The way I figured out the timing at first was to stand on a park bench along one small pond and actually site fish for the Crappie…seeing the process allowed me to get the timing down by feel from there…its a real slight tick, like the fly just pasued for 1/2 a second.
By wading and roll casting back toward the cover along shore, there really is no more effecient way to cover the water…you’ll be able to keep your fly in the stike zone way longer then say spin casting, retrieving and re-casting.
My top producing Crappie fly is the Carter’s Sculpin (this is also an outstanding Bream fly). For Bream, I tie them with a black rabbit fur tail, black chenille body and grizzly hackel with black or silver Crystal flash beard. For Crappie, I tie them in “clown” colors of purple/white, or chartruese/white or red/white etc. This is a fantastic pattern that has produced thousands of fish for me over the years.
Until they drained it to improve the levee, I fished a lake with some good crappie in it and did pretty good with my own version of a Wooly Bugger. I tied it on what Eagle Claw calls a cricket hook about 1 1/2 inches long size 6 or 4, white marabou tail, grizzle hackle and the body wrapped with a a silver foil, holographic if I had it handy. I would weigh it lightly but build up the body with the marabou shaft or yarn to approximately 1/8 inch in diameter sometimes I added bead eyes. I fished it under a top water bug. Strictly shallow and over brush piles.
Can’t give you too many more fly suggestions. Hare 'n Copper, Candy, the Panhandler (see FOW for tying instructions) are all good. Yellow, white, some flash. What works best for me, though, is a “swimming” strip rather than the strip and stop that is so great for other species. The crappies will tell you how fast to “swim” the fly through the profile. It just seems a steady swimming strip works quite well most of the time regardless of the fly. JGW
When I fish for crappies I like to use the crappie candy in a size 10. I fish them under strike indicators that I usually set about 2-3 feet above the fly. I cast out, and allow the fly to settle under the indicator, strip the fly in a foot or so and allow the fly to settle again. The indicator allows me to control the depth of the fly, give the fly the action I want, and make a super slow retrive. when setting your indicator just remember that crappies feed up, meaning your indicator should be positioned so that the flywill hang 6 inches or so above the level that the fish are holding.
This fly was created by one of the fly tying instructors at the Iowa DNR’s Springbrook Conservation Education Center. It is terrific on crappies and other fish.
Very easy to tie, just marabou for a tail, and silver tinsel chenille for a body on a jig-head hook (1/80th or 1/100th oz). The red thread collar gives the impression of gills and really makes the fly work.
Gentlemen, I really appreciate all the suggestions and frankly I’m a bit overwhelmed by your generous responses! I sent an order out yesterday for some tying materials and I believe today I’ll be stopping by one of my local sporting goods stores to pick up a few things to start tying up your suggestions.
I’m starting to see a pattern to the streamers and can’t wait for winter to pass to really give them a try.
My best patterns are Crappie Candy, Small green and white clouser minnows, small fur minnows, and small gummy minnows. I have also caught them on Black-Nosed daces, Black Ghosts, and Nimrods.
Hey Steve,
Would you care to post the recipe for that bee-yoo-tiful, shaggy thing that appears in the top pic? In particular, what material are you using for the body?
I love to catch crappie but would never call myself anything more than a novice at it. But I do have a pattern here that you may want to try if you like top water flies.
Nothing than a few peaces of craft foam at some rubber hackle.
