Actually we haven't given you much real advice. we were all too busy giving you a hard time about the size of your fish.

Since you know where the Crappie are you should concentrate on rigging and presentation.

Use 1/32 ounce or 1/16 ounce jigs in chartreuse or other bright colors fished on an ultralight rig. The crappie should be in 14 feet of water or so. Fish the jig by holding it as still as you can - no jerking it up and down. Concentrate, and when you feel the slightest thump or see line movement raise the rod to set the hook.

An alternate bait is a pink 1/16 ounce jig head with a Panfish Assassin in the smallest size. The most popular color is called the Electric Chicken. A black jig head with a chartreuse Panfish Assassin works well too. Hold it still.

If you use a bobber rig it as a slip float. The 7/8 inch Thill premium balsa bobber is best. Set it for about 14 feet to start. The gentle bobbing motion of the waves will give the jig its action. It will not work well if there is too much wind.

Minnows on a #2 gold Aberdeen hook work well this time of year. Use the smallest size.

Welcome home from the wars. Give me a PM if I can help.

I use a #6 Eagle Claw for minnows although i havent fished minnows for crappie in maybe 20 yrs. Smallest minnows you can buy in the winter, for deep water summer crappie, medium to large minnows are unbeatable for live bait.

For Jigs, when vertical fishing, i use the "finger through the line technique. Jig goes to the bottom, and then the line "feathers" through my "trigger finger" as I pull away from the rod, slowly extending arm. Crappie will kill it on a slow rise like that! But the best thing about it is that if a crappie even "sniffs" at the jig, you can feel it! Contact with line virtually 100% of the time, and makes it so easy to set hook it's ridiculous! Tarponfly and HereFishy saw me doing this one day on Tarponfly's boat, and can attest to its effectiveness! Herefishy now has added that technique to his arsenal, Tarponfly is so good at what he does, he doesn't need it, LOL.

Jig/bobber--cheap cigar bobbers from WalMart are excellent. Buy the linestops, set your depths, tie jig and you are good to go. When fishing from bank, a slow "twitch" method is DEADLY. Cast, let jig settle, twitch and take up slack, let sit, twitch take up slack, watch bobber stand up, slide off, or suddenly disappear, set hook, reel in fish, string up! Repeat till limit is reached.

Colors don't matter, but size does. In cold water/weather, the smaller the better. 1/32-1/16th oz/1/48th, even 1/64th oz jig heads. In summer and warmer weather, bigger jig heads work great.

Hope this helps.

Rudy

M2gunner: Check that PM. It's that little red and white flashing envelope thingy. I'll be happy to help you any way i can. Keep your hook wet!

Ummmmm did we forget the Crappie 101 DVD?!?!?!? Get it! Watch it! Live it! Don't doubt it! Best crappie DVD out there. Not generalizations on patterns and blah blah blah. It's real specific advice in a lecture/demonstration format. You should be able to order it still. I'm sure some guys can tell you where, or you could ask Ernest Paty who made it.

thanks for your service,stay on forum,& welcome

Welcome to the forum... Still need help, pm me anytime..
Last but not least, thank you for your service!!!

M2gunner first of all, Thanks For Your Service. I used to fish for bass exclusively but made the switch to crappie fishing in order to get my son hooked on fishing. If you had success in bass fishing you will do well crappie fishing. For me, locating crappie is very similar to locating bass since most of my bass fishing was done throwing a jig and worm. Crappie and bass seasonal patterns are similar and they both like cover. Fish for crappie in some of the same areas you fished for bass. Difference being think smaller and fish slower. Small baits, smaller tackle especially when fishing a jig (1/32 to 1/16 oz jig--I actually remove some of the marabou feathers to make it even smaller). Use light XL (extra limp) line and light to medium action rod so as to feel a 1/32 oz jig or minnow on the end of the rod. No need for an expensive reel, I prefer a small spinning reel (around 6 oz in weigh--very little chunking and winding for me when crappie fishing). The key is to get a good balanced rod and reel to help you feel the light thump or no longer feeling the weight of the jig or minnow that comes from a crappie bite. Once you master the bite difference between a bass and crappie you will be on your way to some good crappie adventures. Also remember to slow down your presentation, twitch a jig don't jerk it. Pay attention to where you locate the first crappie, others will follow the same pattern. In my opinion a bass will move a longer distance to take a bait, so your bait presentation will need to become more accurate when crappie fishing Not unusual to catch a bunch of crappie in an area several times the size of your boat. You will save gas crappie fishing and you will be a happier fisherman at the end of the day. No one will give you a hard time if you decide to eat your catch. By the way, my son picked up jig fishing at age 5. If you fish it enough, so will you. Welcome to the good side of a wonderful fishing life.