I was curious as to what percentage of the time ya'll use hand ties vs. other artificials or live bait? I'm not bragging at all, as there are way better fisherman than I am, but last year I went fishing about 40 times, and used only my hand ties and a few from the jig swaps. I caught crappie every time I went, not a bunch, but I always caught something. I do have a selection of thump buddies from Lane, and some other plastics, which have produced in the past, however I never did tie one on last year. As far as live bait it seems to be too much more work, and I don't have the same satisfaction as catching with my jigs. I also don't keep more than 6 or 7 usually, just enough for a meal for the family, a few times I kept a limit, and sometimes I didn't need any fish and didn't keep any. I started working nights last year in May and several mornings especially after a really busy night I would take the boat out and fish until noon or so and just feel the stress wash away right there on the water. I posted this this to find out how you guys, the guys that helped me to learn to tie jigs, fish and not to criticize or look down on anybody for their bait selection. In my opinion the most important thing is to get out and enjoy the outdoors however you see fit.

Other than spring walleye fishing 1/32 to 1/16 jihs tipped with nightcrawler, I usually use tied jigs and for crappie almost exclusively. I have an assortment of plastics but more often than not fish a nice tied jig

I hope to find out soon with some great hand-ties a couple of great guys here on the TFF were nice enough to share and/or sell to me. Problem is, it's 29 degrees and icing....again!

Scott in Flower Mound

It depends, but I use my stuff more and more and other stuff less and less..
Most of the time I grab a jig box and a jig pole and head out...

Well in spring I only use hand ties for a good many years now and do really well! Then in summer I usually at some point atart to use a minnow, but I also have a jig below the minnow and most of the time the bigger fish come on the jig! I do believe the smaller fish hitting the minnow may help the larger fish to strike the jig. Fall I a, pretty much back to hand tied jigs!

Spring and fall the Roadrunner is my number one choice and what I use over 90% of the time!

Skip

Since I tie my own, & it's just a thrill when I catch a crappie on something I created (even if I "Borrowed" the pattern) so I fish my jigs probably 90% of the time. I will, on occasion's that call for it, like when the back seat is yankin 3 to my 1, impale a plastic (99 times out of 100 it's a Slab Bandit) on my jig hook. Now on those rare occasion's when I'm able to fish a CAT event, there might be a dozen or so minner's in the boat but only if the Padna insists.

I use plastics probably 98 percent of the time. I pour the jigs and now I'm injecting the plastics too, so it's still all homemade. The other 2 percent of the time, I use feather jigs that I tie, but I just tie basic stuff, nothing worthy of being posted here.

I used to fish minnows sometimes, but haven't in the past year or so.

Let me add one thing here, once the weather warms the water enough for them to come in for the spawn and they are aggressive looking for food to help them stay in good shape from winter slow going. Then if you look at the top guys on the Bass Masters for top water fishing you will see Zell Rowland and his favorite always was a PopR the he sanded the sides and re-painted and tied on some hackle tails in place of the stuff that comes on them. They all say the fish can not stand seeing the hackle tails on the PopR's and strike! Finally some of the top water papers now come with he feathers.

Also nothing has the action of marabou, nothing! And hackle tails look just awesome in the water too and with feathers the action to me makes them better most of the time. Soft plastics will always have their place and do well lots of the time!

I'm about 50/50. Both are good and I've caught equally well on both. If someone said you can only have hand ties or plastics, then hand ties it is. I can get more vivid colors and action with hand ties. There are times, like July-August when the fish are really stressed in hot water, that small hand ties will beat plastics easily.

I like your post and you're fishing for all the right reasons IMHO.

50/50 for me. On my tandem rig, I usually tie 1 hand tie and 1 plastic.

For the young guys the hand ties is the way to go, until they learn to use them well. The trouble with plastics each one has to be hooked as its made to be. Then each one a person has to learn to use it to fit himself. Hand ties will for give a lot more. But, in time they all should be learn. There is a time and place for anything crappie that is out there. I try to fish what others don't.

I mostly fish handtyes, like someone else said, seems like I catch better fish on the ties. I also fish thump buddies, slab bandits, and have all kinds of other plastics. One plastic I like when they are finicky is the chicken foots, but probably about 90% of the time, it is one of my ties or ones I have gotten in swaps. I can't wait to get my tying stuff out of storage to tie me a few more. Probably will be about Julyish, they are suppose to start building next week (suppose to be last week, but the weather)

Some good points there. Plastics hooked wrong is way too common a thing, and something I've found myself in an argument over in another thread right now.

There's something to be said for fishing something a little different than everyone else, too, and is why I made my own spinnerbaits, jigs, and worm weights back when I bass fished, and my jigs and plastics now. It may just be a confidence thing, knowing I'm showing the crappie something no one else does, but confidence is key.

80% hand ties....20% plastics! Will be pouring plastics by end of the month so maybe a split this year!

Plastics most of the time, but then I've never seen anyone catch more on hand tied. I only resort to minnows when none of the plastics work!