| While minnows make be the best live bait for crappie | | | | Shad, and Sassy Grub. Again, the best colors are |
| year-around, there are times when jigs are equal, or | | | | white, yellow and chartreuse. |
| even better for the task at hand. | | | | About 30 years ago, a new type of jig hit the |
| I divide jigs into 4 categories. | | | | market. It was revolutionary in that the entire |
| 1. Jigs with real feathers or bucktail. | | | | jig-head fit inside the jig, giving a life-like look and feel |
| 2. Jigs with plastic bodies on the hook. | | | | to it. It has almost replaced the marabou jig as the |
| 3. Jigs that insert into plastic bodies | | | | industry standard for crappie. They are extremely |
| 4. Horse-Head jigs with spinners | | | | successful, especially with moody, suspending fish! |
| The first category is the simple, long-lived and | | | | Like the marabou jig, it can be fished at any depth, |
| incredibly successful Marabou jig. More crappie have | | | | singly or tandem, or under a float. They come in |
| been caught on this jig than all the others put | | | | every color combination imaginable, and in every |
| together. It is simply a colored ball-headed jig with a | | | | usable size to catch just about everything that swims |
| corresponding color of marabou, or sometimes | | | | in fresh or salt water. For crappie, you'll want to stick |
| bucktail, and chenille tied to the collar. The usual sizes | | | | to the 1-1/2 to 2" sizes. Any combination that has the |
| are 1/16 and 1/32 oz. This is the stereotypical crappie | | | | colors yellow, white or chartreuse in it will work. The |
| jig. It can be fished at any depth, singly or in tandem, | | | | most popular brand of these is called the Gitz-It. |
| or under a bobber. It has produced crappie when | | | | Every crappie angler needs a selection of these in |
| absolutely nothing else works. They are cheap to | | | | the appropriate sizes and colors. |
| buy, or easy to make yourself. No crappie fisherman | | | | Lastly are the Horse-Head type jigs. These have a |
| should ever be without a selection of these in white, | | | | bent-down nose, giving them the horse-head |
| yellow and chartreuse. | | | | appearance. This imparts a slight wiggling action to |
| Next are the standard jig heads, either ball or bullet | | | | the jig that some feel enhances its fish catching |
| head, with a plastic curly-tail, minnow body or similar | | | | ability. They have a body of chenille and marabou, or |
| shape body impaled on the hook and around the | | | | use plastic bodies, much as other jigs do. It is a bit |
| collar. These are very handy because they allow you | | | | heavier than the other jigs, so they are a good |
| to change bodies quickly without removing the | | | | choice when crappie are deep. They sometimes have |
| jig-head from your line. This allows you to switch | | | | a small spinner added to them to provide more action |
| colors rapidly until you find the right combination. Like | | | | and flash. They are usually fished singly, and retrieved |
| the marabou jig, they can be fished at any depth, | | | | like a crank-bait, only slower. They are not a good |
| singly or in tandem, or below a bobber. The most | | | | choice for suspended or moody crappie. |
| famous of this type of jig is probably the Sassy | | | | |