flyfishing for crappie questions

[Randall]

i've never tried it, and was wondering if anybody flyfishes particularly for crappie? if so, what patterns work well, and how do you fish them? any help would be appreciated.

thanks

-randall

[Brian K. Shaffer]

I caught three in Roark Creek yesterday.. they were all real small. I was throwing from the bank only using a 9ft 4X leader / no tippet / small purple clouser.

Someone else will surely chime in with more info... Brian

[Phil Lilley]

1/100th oz jig under a float - excellent. Find their depth and area and drop a jig on them. We caught dozens last spring when they were on the banks.

[timsfly]

I caught a bunch of small crappie yesterday, none over 9" but lots of fun, caught them all on a small 1/80th ounce jig, chartruse marabou tail, chartruse chennile body and a red head, this works for me on table rock and on the local creeks around here for all kinds of panfish, I also use small chartruse and white clousers, I tie them small # 10's and smaller I use them when I need to get deep, and I use a chartruse woolybugger with a medium or large tungston cone to get really deep. Right now a floating line is great, later on I'll fish a sink tip or a full sink, not as much fun but you can still get crappie up untill it gets real hot, then it is time to go back to the spinning rod.

[Randall]

sounds great. thanks for all your help

[Stuartwp]

In the spring I like a use a grey (rabit fur) micro jig about inch long tied sparse. Probably resembles newly hatched fry.

In the fall and when the water is clear, I have used chartruse and white closer minnows fished around docks. No fancy rig, just a six weight rod with a 8-9 foot level leader of six pound test mono.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Which color Chartreuse do you use Tim, Flem?

[Stuartwp]

I use Florecent green chartruse, I have never had an oportunity to use yellow, but it would probably work.

I tie on a no.6 Mustad 3366 ring eye hook. Use extra spall dumbelle eyes, or 1/8 inch brass dumbells. I also use silver or rainbow kristal flash. I tie them spase and like to leave the sparkle tail out past the buck tail about half an inch.

From eye to the end of the last christal flash can be 3.5 inches long. It seems like its on the long side but 9 and 10 inch crappie don't have any trouble.

I have never caught any crappie on it that I remeber, but another color combination on clouser minnows I like is brown/orange with gold kristal flash. I tie these shorter, 1.5 to 2 inches long.

[Watcher]

We have been having great luck on Truman Lake With this Crappie Magnet Jig.

[Charley Hart]

i've never tried it, and was wondering if anybody flyfishes particularly for crappie? if so, what patterns work well, and how do you fish them? any help would be appreciated.

thanks

-randall

I know this is old, but being that the season is upon us I thought I would share. I agree a marabou micro jig can be killer either 80s or 100s. I like to use those or a sinking nymph of some kind. And contrary to what people say the smaller jigs/flies can catch rather large crappies. Here is my secret. Fish when the sun sets on a bank with access to deeper water. Something with a drop off. Or something with rocks is even better. The lunkers come in just about the time the sun drops below the trees to feed on shad. They hit really hard (for crappie) and also fight well (for crappie). On a clear day I can see them make their run on the fly. Very cool.

I can't tell you how many days 99% of the people just left literally RIGHT BEFORE they big ones came out. And I am talking big crappies. Patience is the key IMO with crappie. What fly, what color (not as important IMO at dusk) what size, what depth, what type of retrieve and how LONG TO STAY!

The one thing that makes them also hard is their delicate hits. If you feel like you are dragging a small leaf. You probably have a crappie. This helped me a ton when trout fishing. Did a ton of crappie, hit the trout and I was really sensitive to any twitch in my line or float when using one.