What color hook is best for crappie?

A Quick Summary. As you can see, we generally recommend gold, bronze, and red Aberdeen hooks in sizes #1, #2, and #4 for crappie. They offer the characteristics most anglers need, most of the time, when chasing spring slabs.
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What kind of hooks do you use for crappie?

The best crappie fishing hooks are sizes two, four, and six. I say they are the best because they are the most commonly used fish hook sizes by professional anglers. If you are going for small size crappies or the area you are fishing is known to have small size crappies, you should get and use a size 6 hook.
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What colors are crappie attracted to?

In deeper water, blue-white and purple-white are excellent. In stained water (coffee color or with tannic acid) with bright-light conditions, my four predominate crappie catching colors are: green, chartreuse, lime and orange. Lures that contrast two of these colors, or matching them with brown or white are great.
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What size hook should you use for crappie?

For these reasons many anglers prefer to use either a size #2 or #4 for Crappie, though some will step up to a size #1 if using larger minnows as bait. A general suggestion is for minnows around 1 to 2 inches long to use a #4 hook and minnows around 3 inches to use a #2.
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What time of day are crappie most active?

In the case of crappie, the best time to catch them is during their feeding time, which is most frequently between the hours of midnight and 2 am. Additionally, during dawn and dusk can be good times to catch them, with many of them also feeding during these twilight hours.
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How Much DOES COLOR MATTER in Crappie Fishing?



What's a good time to catch crappie?

The best time to fish for crappie is at early dawn and dusk. But during the colder months it can be at the warmest time of day in the afternoon. Crappie generally feed most actively in low light, so this leaves the night as another great time to catch them as well if you have the opportunity.
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What's the best crappie bait?

Minnows, worms, insects—just about anything can catch a crappie's attention. You don't have to worry about the color of the bait, and you're only throwing them what they would be eating anyway. Minnows are hands-down the favorite used by most, and some even tip a jig with a live minnow for a double-whammy.
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How do you attract crappie?

There are several methods you can use to attract crappie.
  1. Use Fish Lights. One of the easiest ways to attract fish to your dock is by adding lights. ...
  2. Provide Them Cover. ...
  3. Attract Shad and other small bait fish. ...
  4. Provide Shade In Summer. ...
  5. Melt the Ice in Winter.
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Does jig head color matter?

If you're fishing in clear water, red is a good idea to choose for the jig head color, but if you're fishing in murkier water, chartreuse is a good idea because it will attract more attention.
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What is crappie favorite food?

Mature crappie prey on shad and minnows of all kinds, but insects, crustaceans like crawfish, and small amphibians like frogs are definitely on the menu. You may have heard that crappie “feed up,” and while that's largely true, they're not going to pass up an easy meal on the bottom if they can find one.
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What is the best size minnow for crappie fishing?

In most cases, 1 inch long to 2 inch long minnows are best for crappie fishing. Therefore, hooks and sizes from #6 down to #2 work best. The float is then attached to the line 2 feet to 3 feet above the hook. If required, a tiny split shot can be added near the hook to keep the minnow down.
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How deep do you fish for crappie?

Crappie like to spawn in areas of shallow water, usually around 2-to-4 feet deep, with cover such as brush, flooded timber or weeds, and with easy access to deeper water.
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Why do crappie stop biting?

Crappie may stop biting for these 4 reasons: 1. They were spooked by the angler or another predator, 2. They followed their food source elsewhere, 3. They are moving in relation to cold or hot weather, 4.
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How deep are crappie right now?

You're likely to find the crappie hanging out in waters 6 to 12 feet deep and remember, finding structure is not as important as finding food for the crappie.
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How do you catch big crappie instead of the little ones?

5 Strategies to Catch Big Early-Season Crappies
  1. Fish Open Water, Too. Cold-water crappies often hold on deep cover and structure, making them difficult to pinpoint. ...
  2. Toss Giant Jigs. ...
  3. Try Bass-Size Lures. ...
  4. Tap the Tailwaters. ...
  5. Fish the Storms.
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How do you catch a crappie for beginners?

Crappie Fishing Basics
  1. Crappie are mostly minnow eaters, and minnows hide around any kind of brush or weeds to avoid being eaten. ...
  2. Small live minnows are popular crappie baits. ...
  3. Crappie anglers primarily use ultralight spinning or spincasting reels equipped with 4- or 6-pound-test line and 5- to 5 1/2-foot-long rods.
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How do you find crappie in a lake?

Anglers often find more fish near the shoreline cypress trees, stickups, weed beds, blowdowns, or cover-button willows. The big crappie tend to be in shallow water near channel edges next to shallow flats or main lake humps. It's usually the cold fronts that drive crappie into deeper water from the shallows.
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At what water temperature do crappie start biting?

According to Rister, crappies begin spawning when the water hits 57 degrees.
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