the best thing to do to be consistently successful at catching crappie is go when you can, as often as you can, fish different depths until you find the depth they prefer at that time, adjust jig color, size, action and scent to entice them to bite..... On top of all that is if what you're doing isn't working changes need to be made....
Couldn't have said it better. Knowing a water means getting in tune with
where fish are biting on a seasonal basis and weekly/daily basis. At times fish can be caught shallow or deeper on the same day but usually one more than the other.
There are
thousands of lures that catch panfish - most of them jigs and body used (soft plastic, hair). Guess what - I've caught fish for decades using
unpainted jig heads. Fish focus on lure action, shape and size and more so if lure speed is within range of their activity/provocation level. Lures are different than a live bait that's stationary in that movement imparts action to lures whereas live bait moves subtlety until dead. But this comparison brings up color choices.
Live bait color is what it is and can't be changed yet catches fish once fish are found. It doesn't matter the water color, sky or level of sunlight. Fish sense and then attack minnows, worms and other hooked animals. But with lures,
I think its not so much the exact color, but contrast that the particular color show up in the water .. dark/light..
Couldn't have said it better.
Color brightness whether bright or dark define lure shape and action. Even
clear plastic lures catch fish of all species. Ever fish a clear plastic Zara Spook for bass?
Tip:
clear is never colorless. Light rays are slowed in clear plastic and cause the back ground to give a lure color and outline its shape. So, if clear plastic lures catch fish, why the emphasis on particular colors vs color brightness/ contrast as it relates to a background? To answer that you must use many colors to find out if there is such a thing as
lure color preference. Usually that preference is more angler's than fish.