So I have this goal to catch crappie. I have caught a lot of other freshwater fish. Did research, asked for advice and it lead to success on these other species but now I am targeting crappie.

There is only one lake relatively close by me that has crappie in it and one pond.(Woodlands Tx) I know the lake has crappie because I have seen guys come back with stringers full.

Here are my questions:
1. Will I have a chance to catch one or two from the bank or will I have a better chance to fish on a dock?(not taking the yak out as I may only be able to fish an hour or two)

2. I have read that if you are fishing from the bank you should do a float rig with a jig. Would this be the most effective?

3. If I were to use minnows how should these be fished?

4. There is also a bridge that has pillars in the water, would crappie hold against these pillars?(they are made out of concrete)

5. what color and type of jigs would be effective(water is always a greenish brown, can see less than 2 feet deep)? also gotta be something i can buy from academy.

I will be fishing a couple areas this friday but I figured I would attempt for crappie while im out as well.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

The best option if you're bank fishing would be rocky shoreline or standing timber close to the shore as well. Bobber and jig will work. Minnows can be used the same way. As far as jigs, the answers will vary as many folks have their "go to" colors and styles. Hand tied or plastic shouldn't matter if they're really biting. Jiggin el swears by blue jigs, while I prefer something with chartreuse or purple. If you can get to the bridge pillars I would try that, depending on the water depth at that location. A big cold front is supposed to be coming through on Thursday and can push them out deeper. So, catching might be more difficult. There's really no exact answer when it comes to crappie. Hope some of this helps some.

And one more thing. Don't move the jig around too much. Dead sticking most of the time is deadly on crappie. Let the water move the bobber for the jigs action.

If you've got timber I would fish a float rig just above the bottom with a black/chartreuse or blue/chartreuse very close to cover.Like the above post let the wind move it.If its calm just twitch it a little.Hope ya' catch a bunch,just my

Okay thanks for the information so far. I guess my last question would be about the type of jig i should buy. Minnow, tube, spin bettle, etc. will definitely buy the colors you guys are saying as well as other colors.

and is smaller better? and should i use jig head hooks or just plain shank?

being relatively new to ONLY krappie ketchn can be an issue ....
1 .the dock mite produce better than the bank depending on the amount of cover available ,,,,crappie prefer ALOT of cover
2.a 1/16 oz.jig under a pencil style clip on float about 18 inches or so would be the best banking it rig right now
3. minnows would be fished similar to jigs and possibly more effective for you ....same rig bb sinker and #4 or #6 long shank wire hook .
4. crappie esp. the black crappie will hold tight to cover including but not limited to concrete pillars
5. several colors to pick from might be best , something chartreuse , something red and white , something black and blue ...and maybe anything else you like , this time of year they are fairly aggressive and bite a lot of different baits and colors .
I hope you ketch the crappie of your dreams sir
best of luck to you

I use bobby garland or mr crappie plastics. Also slab bandits, but those are not at academy . Use the lightest you can get away with. 1/16 jig head works wonders. Sometimes I go 1/8th depending on depth, structure etc.
This style along with the shad style body is what I use in plastics

These are some of the hand tied I use


Roadrunners work well also.

A lot of times I am lost too. Running around from lake to lake in North Texas and fishing a new lake is a challenge. Almost ANY jig style/brand will catch crappie. Color and contrasting colors on the jig do make a difference at times, but sometimes they'll bite any color. At Academy; Bobby Garland, Strike King, Big Bite, Roadrunner, you name it and they'll all catch you fish. Is it dark day, dark color and light day, bright color? Or vice versa? Black/chartreuse, pink/white, solid chartreuse green, blue/white and black/pink should cover the bases but pick either light or dark colors and you'll figure out which one works best on that given day.

Focus more on location than anything else. Even a minnow swimming around in water void of fish will take a long time to get bit. So if you can get on your kayak and cover more water you'll have a greater chance at success. Right now on the lakes I fish the crappie are transitioning from spawn to post spawn and are in water 5-15' on sunken brush or standing timber near their spawning locations. I suspect that the fish in your neck of the woods are further along in the post spawn pattern because of the difference in water temperature. See "Crappie by Degrees" article.

The more time you can spend on any given body of water will help you locate them if you don't already know where they are. The bridge you mentioned will usually hold crappie but maybe more so in the coming months than now. But as always you won't know for sure until you try it.

The one thing missing from the posts you read here is usually (not always) the location. That's because if you know where they are then catching them gets a whole lot easier. Not many folks will give up their secret honey holes so you'll just have to go looking for sunken brush, submerged timber, or rock piles but having an idea of which depth to search narrows the hunt down. Sometimes they are right near the bottom and others they are suspended from a foot to four feet above the structure they are holding on.

During the spawn, almost everyone catches them in good numbers but once they move further away from the banks it just takes more effort to find them. Also, next year you'll know where you found them last year and with time you'll know all the best places to look. If you keep after it and keep spending time on the water you will find them. Good luck!

I am excited about this. I am going to make this happen!... eventually haha.
Thanks for all the helpful information.

You mentioned bridge pillars. Don 't overlook fishing the concrete cross members that run between the upright pillars. A lot of times, crappie will be stacked either right above it or below it. It provides a lot of good cover. Let your jig down until you feel the depth it hits concrete then jig those areas above and below it. You will have a lot of good luck flippin your jig out at your predetermind depth and letting it swing thru the strike zone. They will nail it when it's straight down (at the end of the swing) Most of all, have fun and welcome to the club!

Yep +1

Good luck

My favorite Academy jig is the unpainted MINNNOW HEAD bare jig...combine that with any color or type of plastic body you choose, put a bobber over the top...and catch some crappie. There are some really good jig makers on this forum..give them a try as well. Jigum Jigs, Thumpit jigs, Slabmesilly, and some really good plastic bait guys as well, Lights Out Tackle (thump buddys), and Slab Bandits. They are good baits in my opinion and these guys will get you going in the right direction.