Today I found a few spawning crappie shallow in about 3' of very muddy water.

I know from time to time, we all catch allot of fish, but it crossed my mind that seldom do we share exactly how.

Since crappie only spawn once a year and for some it is their only chance to really catch numbers of fish, I thought I would see how many would share their techniques for catching spawning crappie. I catch spawning crappie a number of different ways depending on the situation.

Today I used some very old 1/32oz slater jigs pictured below, black/tinsel/black, with a C200 cork and PSS #3 weight (both purchased from Walmart) pinched on to the line 12"s above the jig. On a 5' light action rod and a president spinning reel with 20lb braid.

Just a slow cast and retrieve method.

12' BNM jigging pole. Single jig wade in water waist deep just walk along parallel to the shore line with jig in the water and stop fishing when you have 37 fish.

This is the time I walk the creek banks. I use a 12' jig rod(Todd Huckabee makes a great one) with 10lb test line, 1/8oz jig head with black/chartreuse tube jig. If the water is clearer, I will use blue/white tube jig but I like the muddy water. I let out about 2' of line and drop my jig right in the nasty stuff and hold on! This is by far my favorite way to catch crappie

1/8 oz #2 sickle hook hand tied jig


1 1/2" Sassy Shad with our without a spinner.

Just a 10' jigging pole going down the banks dropping the jig (any color) into any brush or next to any stump or laydown that has at least 1 fow out to 15 fow.
On open banks where there is no cover, I'll switch to a 5'6" ultra lite rod and cast a 1 1/2" sassy shad (with our without a spinner attached) and either do a slow retrieve or bounce it off the bottom all the way back to the boat.

I prefer to ease along slowly with my TM using a 10' pole dipping a jig, 90% of the time I will be using a red/chart solid tube body on a pink head. I love muddy water since it warms quicker and I think the fish will get more shallow. In muddy water I want a heavier type body like a crappie Thunder that moves more water. The technique I use is to gently lower the jig to the bottom and slowly raise it 2 or 3". What I am trying to do is invade the nest and agitate a strike. Fishing cover is good but don't pass up open stretches of bank; crappie will spawn on open banks especially in muddy water. If you are catching male fish really shallow try moving out a little and fishing slightly deeper for the bigger females. Quick tip: if you are getting bit but are having trouble hooking up, pinch off about half of the tail. A lot of times the fish will just be trying to move the jig off of the bed and not really striking it, so shorten it up, putting the hook closer to the tail.

RB

All good info.

Too wet to work todsy so I'm about to head to Hubbard up around miller bridge area. 9 ft bnm and I have a huge box full of jigs I bought off this starving fisherman last year outside the bait store that I have yet to even open. I mostly catfish but have tried crappie twice in the last two weeks and skunked both times. Thinking color or jig type doesn't make a ton of difference. I plan to slow troll and just see what I can find shallow. If the water temp up there is where I think it is they should be moving in. Fingers crossed and if I fish all day and don't catch a single damn fish again I'll have a big box of jigs to give away at the boat ramp when I load up.

Starving fisherman or a thief who stole somebody's tackle?

I was using a 9' pole yesterday just easing along the bank with my trolling motor. With the fluorescent pink jighead, I saw several strike the bait, they were that shallow.

Gman

Walk banks/creeks with a 10 or 12' rod, also take my 5'6" to cast .... usually fish my hand tied Jigs, or LA Baits plastics.....

Wait a minute.....is the limit 37 now? Don't play with my emotions lol!
I depending on where I find them..rocks on lake or creek.....in rocks I like the spots that seem to create a pocket..and slowly drop her down...give her a wiggle set hook, wash rinse repeat. (Watch for snakes periodically with my lazy eye.) In the creek, over hanging trees, fish every limb. Trees in the water, I will swim my jig up and down the side of it, where I feel the bottom of that tree is....root balls on the side of bank are awesome. The bends of the creeks...where the banks are washed out underneath. Corners of the bank leading to a little pocket...I will swim it up to and around that corner. And if the water is rushing...the eddys or whatever they are, is what I target.

It's 37 up here in Oklahoma...with no size limit.

This is correct for Eufaula. Most lakes have a 10" limit and they vary as far as numbers go.

Yea I didn't take other states into consideration...it would have been easier on my heart if I had though! I read 37...and Noone chimed in like it was common knowledge and i started getting all kinds of excited! Lol wishful thinking I guess!