Been a bass fisherman most of my life and recently got a kayak. Looking to jump into crappie fishing. Any tips for getting started? Rigs? Techniques? Eager to learn so any advice is much appreciated. TIA!

Welcome aboard. Search feature is nice here. Lots of you tube videos...
What lake?

Welcome to the forum...

So, there are a lot of us that used to bass fish on this forum. Whatever your reason for getting interested in crappie, Congratulations...you have stepped into the light, from the darkness! Sadly, crappie fishing can be maddening at times...it requires a level head to think through what is going on and a willingness to try something new when the old just doesn�t work.

There are many ways to catch crappie. Unlike bass, crappie tend to be in the tightest brush/structure available. The thing I remind myself when at the boat ramp...There are three 55 gallon barrels somewhere on this lake with a limit of fish, the trick is to find the barrels and get them to bite. This view, while not entirely accurate, will help you keep the focus necessary to find and catch the fish. Some days you can find them but not catch them...welcome to crappie fishing! It happens.

If I had to suggest tips, tricks, etc. a basic assessment of your bass fishing skills would be in order...figure that out then downsize your bait, and slow down your presentation significantly. Crappie fishing is like worm fishing for bass, except slower. In crappie fishing, a 1/16 ounce jighead with a 1.5 to 2.5 inch bait is the norm, as is 4 to 8 lb mono and 8 to 20 lb Braid. A sensitive rod is a must, as is the ability/willingness to watch the line for movement...indeed a good crappie fisherman can tell you when you have caught a fish often times before you can feel the fish on your line...practice fishing IN the structure, rather than around it...

Hangups happen, often, that is why there is always a large discussion about braided fishing line. Casting is not really necessary, but if you must, learn how to fisha roadrunner. Otherwise, understand that exact depth a crappie will take a bait is a big key. They may be sitting in ten foot of water, but will only take you bait at 3 feet,or 4 feet, or when you bump them on the nose with the bait. Presentations are another key; do they want it still, moving, swinging in, swinging away, etc. Some days crappie are aggressive, some days very passive.

If I was to give you some advice, it would be to fish with some other crappie fishermen, and ask questions. Also, Crappie guides will help you learn about your home lake, good color combinations, good presentations and will answer many questions for you, just pay for some half day trips. One other tip, time on the water, is the best tip I can give you. Each trip fishing, my first goal is to find fish, second is to catch a fish, third is to catch a mess, fourth is to catch a limit, and lastly, get back home safely with my catch. Good luck and good fishing!

What lakes do you plan to fish? With a Kayak you will be somewhat limited to areas close to your launch point. When I am in the DFW area, I fish Ray Roberts, Fork and Texoma. All would be a little different for crappie.

I fish a small 12 foot pontoon when I fish the above lakes. This is what I have found that works:

1. Fish the bridge pylons. Jig or Minnow this will work. If it were me in a kayak, I would get a few minnows in a bucket and tip the jig with a minnow.

2. Get a portable case with battery for your fish finder:
https://www.humminbird.com/Freshwater/Product-Category/Accessories/Cases-and-Covers/

Without a good fish finder, you'll paddle right by some good places to fish and fish Pylons and trees with no fish.

Water will be warming up in the next few weeks. Good luck to you.

Wow Crapicat, I'm impressed. Good write up. Kick'n Bass, use your bass skills to help you locate fish. Just like bass, the crappie sets up in ambush waiting for dinner. Look in the same places such as drop offs, points, timber, brush, humps and so forth. With the water starting to warm a little start looking under boat docks. You will have a blast shooting docks out of your kayak. Good luck and looking forward to your fishing stories.

crappie are fun to catch and so good to eat!

Vertical jigging is my major weapon.

Can't agree more about using sonar - even a cheap color one around $100. Locations can change day to day but many times, the type of location doesn't meaning - depth, near shore, further from shore, shallow /deep, near weed beds/ open water, etc.

Like bass patterns, crappie patterns reveal themselves and much of the time other species will be in the same water. Water temperature is the least important factor in my experience in getting fish to bite - but. I say but because lure size and jig weight affect lure speed, both of which I usually reduce when water temperatures are below 50 degrees.

Lures designs are many! My go to lures are soft plastics rigged on 1/32, 1/16 and 1/8 oz unpainted ball head jigs. I also add a wire grub lock to every jig head so the lure doesn't slide down:

The photo shows a jig barb which I always cut off with wire cutters. A curl tail grub is also shown and rarely do I use curl tails for panfish. I instead cut the tail as below illustrates only because I prefer straight tail grubs:

and carrot shaped:

Even catfish bite them:


Jigs are the easiest to catch fish with as long as you make long casts, cover a lot of water, find the depth fish are biting at and never retrieve lures at a steady retrieve. As I said, sky's the limit when it comes to what panfish bite. Here are a few more examples:

The lures in the left picture above are Crappie Magnet grubs and move no different than any cone/carrot shaped grub and work just as fantastic!!

Another important thing I find helpful feeling the strike and setting the hook at a long distance is using 10 lb test braid line on a spinning or spincast reel. I tie a 6# test leader of fluorocarbon for the best lure performance and less slack going to the light jig head.

I haven't fished lake Texoma in decades but found many coves and points that held fish. Of course back then I didn't know a crankbait from a spinnerbait and relied on live bait. Did well though when a local put us on fish.

The above is only one of many tips to consider. Hope a few may help. I fish many different waters where I live and the above has caught hundreds of fish per year for me and those I instruct how to retrieve light lures. Hope it helps.

Try jigs and lure from here:
https://www.macfishing.com/detail.php?id=426&ids=&idt=&ide=&dd=1071

https://www.macfishing.com/detail.php?id=426&ids=&idt=&ide=&dd=1061

They work great!