we have been have decent success on the constant pursuit thump chubby in dirty deed or timber rattler and the time tested and true slab bandit in texas toast. or pink and white medium size.. lake side tackle is the only place I can find the thump chubbies right now.. spoke to a gentleman and was informed that Mr Palmers family is looking for someone to continue making the baits.. Hope someone picks up the torch, and keeps making them, because they are some of the best crappie baits ever made.. in springtime, the little stump jumper frogs are all I use now..
when the crappie are super picky, that short . fat profile of the thump chubby looks like a pregnant minnow I think, is why they will hit it , when hardly nothing else will work.. you have to use the right hook with them, it has to be a short shank, wide gap hook, due to the thickness of the body, but short length.. lake side tackle has a variety box of the most popular chubbies in a box for sale,. its around 100 chubbies, and 10 jigheads for sale. 25 bucks plus shipping... . if youve never tried the chubbies, check them out... one would think the crappie would want large two and 3/4 or 3 inch baits right now exclusively, but that definitely hasnt been the case in the lakes ive been fishing..

I've been alternating between 1.5 inch "panfish minnow" and the 2 inch crappie thumper. Both sold by a company called "big bite baits". I found them here in Louisiana in a tackle shop called honey hole and have been ordering them direct from the company ever since.

Usually pair both of those up with a short shank 1/16oz unpainted jighead.


LP - Those thump chubbies you mentioned look VERY similar to the small panfish minnow I've been using a lot with those small tails. Will be ordering me some of those to try out!

Bone head has chubbies for clearance price of $5 per 15 so if you can get 100 for $25 plus 10 jig heads it will be a great deal. I paid $6 per 15 last time I bought some

I've been killing the crappie on Cedar Creek Reservoir, Texas on crappie magnet black/chartreuse tipped with a minnow. Been under the bridge btween Seven Points and Gunbarrel City. Going again on Sunday.

and you get the box ..

you may want to pick up some stump jumpers too,, they work all year long, and are small profile as well...with a light jighead, its a great finesse presentation. the little legs flutter in the water and slow it down.
its something different too. something they may not see often...
theres also another company that makes the little frogs, they are slightly larger, (not much),. and work well too.,. not near as durable though, and a limited color selection...

I ordered a box. Can’t wait to get them in and give’em a try.

let me know if they are liking them on cedar creek , small profile baits seem to be whats working right now for some reason in many areas .
it is pretty common knowledge that shad can spawn at least twice a year, and sometimes 3.
what im seeing on my sonar here in central texas is either schools of very large shad, or very small.. the very small size tend to be sitting near or on the bottom, or very close to cover and structure.. the schools of larger shad seem to be more transient and higher in the water column.. the crappie ive cleaned recently dont have large shad in thier stomach... all partially digested smaller shad... or empty stomachs... dont know if the crappie find it easier to just snack on the smaller baitfish rather than try and chase down the larger ones or what. 25 to 35 feet seems to be where the crappie want to be in my area right now. they might be in 35 feet but seems to suspend around the 25 foot depth.. one of the challenges were having right now is getting a small profile bait, down that deep, while fighting the wind to try and target fish that are sitting very tight to the cover.. im going to experiment with a 1/2 oz barrel sinker, above a small swivel, then tie on a mono leader under it, to try and get the jig down alot faster.. in the wind the multiple splitshots a foot above the jig seem to get tangles up too much.. when its going down. the jig wants to wrap around the splitshot sinkers and tangle.. winter fishing sometimes requires alot of little adjustments that can make all the difference and im trying different things to optimize my chances.

G-Daddy Baits
1.5" Hybrid Bow's Favorite

very interesting jigs..!!

Brush glider and finesse minnow profiles have been working for me, along with Texas Toast slab bandit (which has become a must have).

1/8oz slab syndicate in popcicle.

who would have ever thought that the colors of the texas toast slab bandit would be such a great color.. the texas toast slab bandit and the black and chartruese rocky tops have produced the biggest fish for me over the years..
nobody had that color combo before crazy angler made it..