Soft plastics for brush pile crappie

[PMantle]

Is there a best style? size? color? Give me your experiences please, as I am new to this and in a Monkey Milk rut.

[fr8dog]

Tough question to answer. How big are the fish? How deep? I typically use 1/32-1/16 jigs that I tie. Simple chenille and marabou. For plastics I have twisty tail, straight tail, and some minnow looking things from 1.5 to 2.5” long. I don’t get wrapped up with brand names. They vary from town to town. For colors I use light or dark. I tie several but yellow vs pink with purple flake never seems to matter. If bright isn’t getting it done I put on a dark one. Probably not much help but it’s almost lake specific. Don’t get caught up in the minutia. I also use a slip float for depth control if I’m not using a long pole to dip them into brush.

[PMantle]

12-15" and 10 to 18' deep depending on if they are above the brush or down towards the bottom.

[fr8dog]

I vertical jig for them in deep water. Lots of times i just sink it under the transducer and hang it motionless. 1/16 jig with a 2” Bobby Garland Baby Shad if I want plastic. Dark or light depending. Yellow, chartreuse, blue, black. Prepare to lose a bunch fishing in the sticks. That’s why I went to pouring my own. I use super glue on them to keep from sliding down and tearing. They last longer. The 12-15” are what I normally get.

[Gamblinman]

Bait profile is more important than color. Find the active fish.

[JDS723]

We have found that a shad profile usually outfishes typical tube profiles. As for colors around here, black/chart, black/pink, monkey milk, and electric chicken is mostly all we use. BUT, when we have clients on Toledo Bend, minnows outfish jigs almost every single day.

[PMantle]

Caught my personal best numbers on Kincaid last Sunday. When they stopped biting Garland Baby Shads, I tried the Lunker City Hellgies, and got bites right away. I am now a believer in those little critters.

[Pound4Pound]

Here in Oklahoma I rely on 3 different baits starting now thru the spawn, the first being the Beaver Bottom bait, the second being the Bobby Garland Stroll'r, and the third being a 3" Berkley Ripple Shad. I tend to do better on the 3" swimbait during the dead of winter. I also never fish with anything lighter than 1/4 oz jig heads. Most of these fish constantly see small baits so you'd be surprised how many fish you'll catch showing them something bigger.

https://www.redneckrubberco.com/prod...ttoms-baits-2/

https://www.fishusa.com/Bobby-Garland-StrollR

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Berk...g%3A%20Berkley

[Dropdeadfred]

always vertical fished maribou could just barely move it and it pulsates, dont think I have ever caught much on plastics.

[PMantle]

Here in Oklahoma I rely on 3 different baits starting now thru the spawn, the first being the Beaver Bottom bait, the second being the Bobby Garland Stroll'r, and the third being a 3" Berkley Ripple Shad. I tend to do better on the 3" swimbait during the dead of winter. I also never fish with anything lighter than 1/4 oz jig heads. Most of these fish constantly see small baits so you'd be surprised how many fish you'll catch showing them something bigger.

https://www.redneckrubberco.com/product/beaver-bottoms-baits

What color(s) do you like on these beaver things?

[Pound4Pound]

I use white body/chart tail 80% of the time, and then switch it up from there. Last year I did well on the pumpkin seed/chart.

[Crappie Bob]

Around here where I go they can't resist these, put them on a jig head or just thread the hook like you would a bass worm with the barb up. They have a green sheen on their side in the sunlight that comes from a foil piece built inside, makes them look real...

crappie minnow.jpg

[Mechanic Bob]

Also apply some scent.
I bought one of those massive Crappie mini tube kits. Stood on a dock and went through all the colors and found they did prefer one color to the others. I think you just have to see what colors work on what type of days. Dark days, I use dark colors. Bright days, I use light colors.
just my 2 cents.

[PMantle]

I found out something helpful this weekend. We have probably all seen pile fish suddenly slow down or just stop biting after catching a few. I bought some Gulp minnows to try when this happens. Yesterday, every time the action stopped, I switched and immediately caught a few more. Sure wish I could find these in bulk.

[trsteele]

Around here where I go they can't resist these, put them on a jig head or just thread the hook like you would a bass worm with the barb up. They have a green sheen on their side in the sunlight that comes from a foil piece built inside, makes them look real...

crappie minnow.jpg

Do you have a link to purchase these?

[SSComanche]

Do you have a link to purchase these?

A quick search turned up this. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32790089930.html
May be other places to purchase as well.

[PMantle]

Decided to buy a bunch of tied jigs from a guy in N. La. I found on Facebook. Been killing them on Silver/blue/silver. I may never have to use plastic again.

[PolarKraft195]

2" twister tail, or 2" Bobby Garland Baby Shad. No need to get crazy on colors, a few different colors is all you need. I like yellow, white/yellow, white, chartreuse, and of course, monkey milk..
Marabuo jigs are a good choice too!

[GOTTA BIG SACK]

Crappie fishing has been weird here the last month. Normally we limit out every trip nov thru Jan. We can hardly catch 15-20 a trip right now. They’re there. They’ll follow the lure and then swim back to the group. Even thru a minnow to em last Saturday. They would just swim around it for 10 minutes and never take it. Has us confused as can be. normally any Bobby garland color will work on a 1/16 oz head.

7F6D8695-096C-404C-B4E1-6FE6ABDB2487.jpeg

[cubswin]

Personally I use tubes and hair jigs more than anything. I keep some other plastics, but most of the time I can catch them on tubes.