I target panfish mostly and have gotten the numbers to prove it. (IE 60 in one outing). The advice given is good, but here's mine - take it for what it's worth:
Light jig heads are the most important first step catching fish on small lures. I have used
1/32 oz jigs with 5" Kut Tail worms and caught different species.
Example
When using light jigs,
hook size should be matched to the lure. In the example above, I found 1/32 oz jigs on Ebay (my main source for all jig) and 2/0 hook.
I use hooks in the following sizes:
8, 6, 4 with
4 and
6 cover most lures used.
When it comes to jig weight, these are all you'll ever need
1/16,
1/32 and
1/24 oz along with 1/32 cover all bases.
To cast light lures a distance,
light action rods are essential. No need to go longer than 5 1/2' or 6'. Walmart sells one I like and another I bought again as cheap was a 6' Duck Commander light-action rod for $20. (google search) The last 1/3 needs the flex to cast light lures 45-57'.
I use spinning and baitcast with 8# test braid (
2# diameter) which allows me to cast the above distances. I only use
Kastking SuperPower braid. Super cheap and
I can pull my 12' row boat to a snag and release my lure !!!! Casts great, abrasion resistant, transmits light strikes like no other line I've used and
sets the hook at long distance.
The problem with using many spincast reels is the small cap opening the line comes out being much too small fro braid. Daiwa has one of the best spincast reels I've used to cast braid and light lures plus the drag is smooth.
Medium size
spinning reels are preferable to small or large, but make sure the gear ratio is 3.5 or better in order to take in line fast when needed.
Soft plastic lures catch the most fish when it comes to pan fish and can even catch giants such as big catfish, bass and pickerel. Lure design selection is huge, but
the retrieve is key to catching fish.
Slow with pauses and rod tip twitches get it done!! The Crappie Magnet is one of the best. Here are fish caught on it:
As you can guess - color is not a huge factor if at all. Bright and not so bright are all I'm concerned with though I do have favorite colors for some designs -
even clear:
wacky rigged homemade min-stick:
and
I've even used the Magnet with a spinner -
the Beetle Spin - and caught fish.
Spike tails do well:
Some curl tail designs used on a Beetle Spin do well:
(Generally I'm not thrilled with Twister design curl tails, but like the PowerBait Ribbontail grub tail design)
Feather and hair jigs also have their moments:
At times I've caught fish using soft plastic lures under a float:
The key is
finding fish and sonar does just that:
The fish seen only indicate
the presence of fish in that part of the lake. Don't count on catching those on the screen, though I have. The other
fish finder is
your lure whether or not sonar is used. Cast cast cast all over the place and at different depths. If you're lucky to find a school, strike after strike will get your heart going! When I live in Wichita Falls, I was lucky to have a small lake nearby to fish from the bank as well as two large lakes to fish from a boat or bank. I never stayed in unproductive areas long and had no idea the depth because sonar hadn't been invented yet for freshwater angling.
As time goes on,
seasonal locations and patterns become evident - learning them saves time as does fishing with others that use much of the above to catch fish.
Good luck and catch the big'ns!!