How do you get them to bite?

[keeferfish]

Decent with finding structure and fish especially crappie but how do you get them to bite? I get tons and tons of follows. Fished with a guide and watched him, he mainly uses minnows and I even tried that with not much luck. Fished a pile yesterday with minnows; with literally hundreds of fish and only caught 2 and one was a bass?

It does seem when they are holding tight and not moving much I have better luck. If the fish are moving around I can almost forget it. Ideas?

[eyedabassman]

I am referring to bass but, when bass follow a bait that means they are interested in the bait to eat it but something is off to them. It could be retrieved speed, color, size of the bait or even action of the bait. I get this a lot when fishing a spinnerbait or swim bait. With the spinnerbait it is the blade is too big or color, with the swim bait could be color or maybe a paddle tail is too much and they may want a straight tail. Change does work on them ! And some fish just don’t want to eat and then I have caught them on FAST moving baits wright in on them and sometimes you can fire up a school doing that. But I would rather fish the ones that follow. One more thing on followers could be your line also in very clear water , then just down size!

[keeferfish]

I do use braid exclusively for crappie but we don’t have clear water.

[Almi]

If there are not biting down size your line and your lure. Go down to 4lb test and a 1/32oz jig. Depending on sunlight or lack of it might dictate what color they want that day. Depending on the depth you might have to throw on a float to keep it in front of there nose for a little longer.

[Almi]

I do use braid exclusively for crappie but we don’t have clear water.

Throw on a mono leader and see if it helps.

[eyedabassman]

Put on a fluorocarbon as your leader!!!

[KC Ron]

I do use braid exclusively for crappie but we don’t have clear water.

Smithville is as clean as I’ve ever seen it this time of year. I seen at least 30 little male crappie come after my jig last Sunday. I’d try 6lb mono or floro until the water gets back to normal color. I had a buddy using mono that outfished me with braid 3 to 1 a couple weeks ago from the back of the boat. We were using the exact same bait

[keeferfish]

Well when you guys are right you're RiGHT!

Went back to the same pile with a 1/16 no spinner jig and a small bass assassin baby shad with a 6lb mono leader and caught about a dozen and probably missed even more. Only problem was they were all 5 to 7 inch crappie but still cool figuring it out. Well you guys did for me!

THANKS!

[PMantle]

Sometimes they just do not bite no matter what you use. I have had days where everything seemed perfect, yet one or no bites. Then, later that same day, I catch 10 or more from the same group.

[Redngoo]

I swapped over to crappie fishing 25 years back. I will agree with pmantle. My experience tells me they either bite or don't. If you find them and they don't bite check them out at different times in a trip. I have a set time I will try to catchum. Then I move on.

[PMantle]

I have a set time I will try to catchum. Then I move on.

Exactly.