Dan Saknini’s synopsis for catching Crappie:

“Most of our Club Members go with, 6’ – 6’6” Rods . We use a variety of colors based on how clear or Stained the water. Jiffy Jigs or Bobby Garland Jigs tends to be the favorite. Some of our members been having good success with a Road Runner…It’s been proven for many years that it catches fish.” 

THE GEAR:  

Jigs: A 1/24-oz. Jiffy Jig, which can be hard to find, use a color with chartreuse in it. Favorite colors are: JJ20, black head, bubble gum body, chartreuse tail; and JJ41, red, white,chartreuse. A 1/32-oz jig with bobby garland body is also a great choice. Remember dark color jigs in murky water,cloudy days and light colors in clear water and bright day

Line : 2 or 4 pound Vicious high visibility line will help detect the bite and especially when they are not feeding aggressively. Watch your line for movement or even if it stops on the jig falling , to detect this bite as well. This line is inexpensive and recommended to change out a few times throughout the year.

Rod: A 6-7 foot medium light to medium action rod with a fast tip will help to shoot a longer distance and helpful to get all the way to the back of a dock. There are many choices out there theses days.

Reels: A spinning reel is the best option and helpful for a longer cast with light jigs. Select the reel that will balance out your rod but when shooting docks a larger spool will help with distance and a 2500 size, typical bass reel is a good option. Select a reel to fit your budget, but a good drag on the light line will help to land large fish as well as bass and other species feeding in the area.

Shooting Docks:  With big eyes on the tops of their heads, Crappie are always looking up, and they don’t like the sun. So the deepest, darkest spots under a dock will hold fish. To shoot a jig, line your boat up parallel with and 4 or 5 feet away from the dock. Let your jig hang to the lowest guide on your rod, pinch the jig by the bend in the hook, pull it back even with the reel to load the rod and let the jig fly, releasing the line with your reel hand as the jig slings way up under the dock. It takes a little practice, and you’ll likely lose a few jigs in the process, but it helps if you bend over low and keep your rod parallel with the water.

Slack Line:  Most of your hits will come on the fall. Let your jig fall vertically with a little slack, maybe wiggle the rod tip a little, and watch that neon-green, high visibility line. If the line moves or if the jig stops falling, set the hook and haul in your fish. If you don’t get bit on the initial fall, retrieve the jig slowly, imparting a little action from the rod tip.

Choose a Dock: Floating docks and docks on pilings are both good, but boathouses and covered docks are the best because they provide the best shade. Pontoon boats are always great targets because you can shoot into the darkness between the pontoons, but there are a couple keys no matter what kind of dock you’re shooting. The first key is the presence of bait fish. Watch your electronics, bait fish around a dock is a good sign, and if there’s added structure such as sunken brush it’s even better. The second key is depth. Crappie change depth with the water temperatures and the seasons. Find the range of depths they are holding at, and fish docks with that much water under them.

Algae Attactors: Pretty much anything in the water will have some algae sticking to it. Algae attract bait fish. Bait fish attracts Crappie. Get your jig around boat lifts, boat lift air hoses or anything else under a dock that has some good green scum on it.

Boat Hook: With even a little wind, staying in position to shoot docks is difficult, especially since your trolling motor only provides thrust from the front. Give the guy in the back of the boat a boat hook on a telescoping pole. Position the bow with the trolling motor, preferably one that is foot or remote operated, and use the boat hook to push the stern off of docks if you need to.

Never use a Split Shot: This is for the live bait guys. Whether you’re pitching minnows under a cork or dropping them vertically to brush, there is no reason to use split shot sinkers. How many times have you caught fish on a split shot asked Dan. He suggested tying a jig into your line 18 inches above your hook instead of using a sinker. The jig will get your bait down just like a sinker will, and it’s also likely to catch fish.

Scent: It can’t hurt to add a little fishy smell to your jigs. Berkley Crappie Nibblets, JJ’s Majic Dippin’ Dye or any of the other commercial scent attractants on the market will make your jigs a little more palatable to the fish. On that subject, you could also just tip your Crappie jig with a minnow.

Brush Piles: It can be tough enough to find and stay on top of sunken brush, whether it’s in 4 or 40 feet of water. Use your electronics to find sunken structure and then mark it on a GPS. That way you’ll be able to find it again. When you’re ready to fish it, locate the brush and mark it with a buoy. Back off 30 feet or so and fish the brush thoroughly from all angles. Dan said he does donuts around his brush piles, and often the bites come from
only one side. Be sure to pick up your buoy when you leave. You wouldn’t want someone else to find your good hole that easily.

Network: If you aren’t on the water all the time, the easiest way to keep up with what the fish are doing is to be in touch with people who are. Make friends on the water, visit the local tackle shop frequently or join a fishing club. That way you’ll know what stage of the spawn they’re in, how deep they are, what they’re biting before you go out.