I don't get it. I put out brush about 4 weeks ago, the crappie appear to be all over it and still all my son, wife and I catch are a few dinks. We have been using Bobby Garland and Thermocline lures in various colors and various jig heads but we haven't been real successful. I know the lures work because of the pics I see on other posts. Is it just to hot?

I know the pics are a little stretched as we wern't going very fast but it appears to me that the cedar trees are loaded with crappie.






Any pointers on what I'm doing wrong?

I would say yes they are loaded with crappie. Catching them can be tough sometime, it is for me right now. I am catching them, but not like I was a month or two ago. Maybe it is the heat. I use jigs and crappie nibbles to catch the few I am getting.

later...don

DUDE, those piles are loaded! Welcome to the club on seeing them on the graph and can't get them to bite. It's summer man and sometimes you just have to wait them out. Get some minnows and tip those jigs as well. That might help.

Are you tipping your jig with crappie nibbles?

Have you tried minnows?

Just some thoughts.

Most times it helps to go to a 1 inch up a 1 1/2 jig. I like to use whites, light blue, monkey milk something along that line when they are there and not wanting to play. also use the differ ways you know to fish the jig.

I believe that those fish have lock jaw and it is nothing that you or your family are doing wrong. If you give me the coordinates, I could prove to you that they wouldn't bite for me either.

I would try a bigger profile bait and +1 on the minnows.

Great screen shots!!!

Now about those coordinates.

Minnows? Sometimes minnows are the key...

Il be the different one in the group. I say go smaller on the baits and the absolute lightest jighead you can get by with. When I find finicky crappie I like a 1 1/4" slab bandit on a 1/32 oz jig-head. This can be difficult to fish in the wind but if it is a relatively calm day that can sometimes be the ticket in bringing home a limit, vs a couple.

Yup, sometimes smaller is better.

Thermocline lil fry on a 1/32 jighead maybe even with tipped with a minner especially if throwing a 1/16oz head. Small handties or even a straight minnow would be what I would throw at em, but you might as well done move onto another pile. I'm sitting here at work daydreaming and just mauled that one like a pack of coyotes in a melon patch.

Slew

Visit the pile at varying times of the day or night. Crappie have to feed sometime..you're meal ticket is to be there when they do.

Gman

Yep down size. Yes those baits are excellent baits. Sometimes a minnow on a simple Snell Hook with a split shot can get them to dance.

Thanks for the replies all. I'm going to try some of those crappie nibbles and minnows and up size and downsize to see what happens. I have not fished a minnow in a long time as I'm doing my best to learn how to be a jig fisherman but it looks like I will give it a try now. I guess sometimes there are no substitutes for the real thing......

Don't be ashamed to try different things....especially a minnow.

I ran into the same situation a while back, some old timer ask me if i had a hair fly the ones they use for trout, 4 lb test free fall and WHAMMM!!!