Favorite Crappie Flies

[srock]

Crappie season is just getting underway in my area and I have already had some very good and some so so days. By good I mean 70 plus fish, a so so day is less than 10 fish. Crappie fishing should continue to get better as the water warms and more fish come closer to shore to spawn.

Here is my question. What flies and rig set ups do you use most often. I have been using a tandem fly set up with a jig fly, usually white on top, and a soft hackle hare’s ear as the dropper. I have been fishing about 5 feet deep with a slow streamer type of retrieve. This has worked well, and I have experimented with other flies with bead heads such as prince nymphs, pheasant tails, and small scuds. Does anyone have suggestions on what they use that seems to work well. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks in advance. Srock.

 

[ia_trouter]

Tis the season very soon. I live by a 5 yr old lake north of you that is just crazy good for crappie. Drop flies are my favorite subsurface. Bully spider and McGinty work well. Works on the shoreline during spawn, and works in deeper water later in season. Up top my fave is the Bob's Hopper. Many 50 fish evenings the past few years.
My favorite colors are....

chartreuse
chartreuse and white
chartreuse and black
chartreuse and red
chartreuse and chartreuse

I'm not so sure the complientary color matters at all Seriously though, if chartreuse and white aren't working for panfish I just crack open a beer and enjoy the boat ride.

 

[Rip Tide]

I haven't done it in a while, but just down the road from me there's a series of 5 mill ponds and at this this time of year the crappie (they're called calico bass here) stack up in the warm south facing coves.
I fish for them on top with panfish poppers... cuz it's fun and that's what I like to do.
You can't get a boat in there so I fish mostly from the (active) railroad tracks. It can be a bit of a challenge.

 

[rodneyshishido]

Never caught crappie on a fly. Used to fish for them with spinning tackle. With spinning tackle it was fun. Must be a blast on fly gear. I also recall that they run in schools so once they start biting you get some pretty good action.

 

[karstopo]

I do best on the Crappie with Balanced leeches. Seems like different colors click at different times. Crappie fishing has been good here in the local lake all winter and throughout the Spring so far. Lately, size 8 golden shiner colored Balanced leeches like in the photo have been the best. It’s been stand in one spot, cast to the same basic area and slow retrieve the jig in. Fish often hit the pattern on a slow rise. It can be a fish every cast at times. Sometimes, the Chartreuse tail/black body work well. Pure White has not been such a great color for me. The Crappie here seem to move into the shade on sunny days and creep over a little into shadeless water on dreary days.

The size 8 Balanced leeches probably do a little better and can be fished slower than the size 1 or 2 ones shown stuck in the Crappie that I attached. I don’t take a lot of photos of Crappie so I don’t have any with the smaller jigs in them. The bigger leeches keep bluegill away if that’s something you want. I’ve caught a few Crappie on smaller surface flies, but it hasn’t been nearly as efficient as are the little jigs.

The 6’2” CGR 2 weight is great for the size 8 leech. There’s hardly any weight to them and the Arizona Simi Seal isn’t a wind grabber if it’s put on sparsely, rather sparse ones seem overall more effective on the Crappie. Low hanging Tree limbs come into play and the short rod is easier around that. Most of the fish are 10-30’ off the shoreline. I’ll use the 7’ 4/5 weight and 7’6” 5/6 weight CGR for the bigger leeches or when I need to get out more line. I like the 2 weight best just because it’s so light and fun to fish.

Main thing has been getting the presentation down. It takes a bit of time sometimes figuring out just at what depth they are and just at what speed they want the jig. Once I get one at a particular presentation and depth, I try to mimic that same presentation and that’s been the most productive strategy for me. I’ve only been using floating line and knotted fluorocarbon leaders. Lake is only 12’ at best. Fish have been in a zone that’s 2-8 feet depending on the day. Submerged Snags are a potential issue, but I know where most the bad ones are by now and the softer 90 degree jig hooks will bend open before the tippet snaps in most cases.

 

[ia_trouter]

Karstopo's pics reminded me of a fly called called crappie candy. Looks a lot like a traditional crappie jig and you can find good vids on youtube.. If you don't tie already, panfish flies are a great way to learn, and the materials are actually inexpensive for most of them. They catch a lot of different species on most water.

And you'll likely get a lot of color recommendations here. I know I said chartreuse or stay home. Depth and clarity of water matters.

 

[srock]

Karstopo, thanks for sharing and your jigs look very good. They are similar to what I use as well, but I have been mainly using white with some silver Krystal flash to mimic minnows. The small jigs I use are size 10 and I like catching bluegill along with the crappie. I will need top tie some more chartruese into my jigs. What is the name or brand of jig that you are using to tie on, it looks like the eyelet is in the middle of the jig. I might like getting some of these. Thanks again for sharing your pics and knowledge. SR.

 

[dakotakid]

By far, my favorite crappie fly is Sarge's crappie fly.
Free State Fly Fishers - A Kansas FFF Fly Fishing Club in Lawrence, KS


>> Sarge’s Crappie Fly


In Florida, the nearby freshwater is stained and for some reason blue, chartreuse and red marabou tails work great here. Up North (Chicago area and SW Michigan), where I fish unstained waters, those colors don't do as well as olive colored flies. That's my personal experience. However, when crappie are in a feeding frenzy, it doesn't seem to matter what you throw them and they are definitely a blast!

Sarges crappie fly by https://www.flickr.com/photos/153050346@N08/, on Flickr

IMG_3257 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/153050346@N08/, on Flickr

 

[karstopo]

Karstopo, thanks for sharing and your jigs look very good. They are similar to what I use as well, but I have been mainly using white with some silver Krystal flash to mimic minnows. The small jigs I use are size 10 and I like catching bluegill along with the crappie. I will need top tie some more chartruese into my jigs. What is the name or brand of jig that you are using to tie on, it looks like the eyelet is in the middle of the jig. I might like getting some of these. Thanks again for sharing your pics and knowledge. SR.

I use a pin to extend past the bend. If you look up tying videos for Balanced leech, it’s will show how. On the small sizes, I use a sewing pin and on the bigger sizes a banker’s pin.

I believe the Balanced Leeches got known for getting big stillwater cutthroat trout on Pyramid lake. They hang horizontal when suspended under an indicator. I don’t fish them under an indicator, though. I could use regular jigs, but I truly believe the Balanced leeches fish better. No doubt Balanced leeches move differently. The nose doesn’t rise up on the strip like a bead head bugger or a regular jig. It swims horizontally on the strip even as it rises in the water column.

Those diiachi hooks are pretty light wire and soft, but plenty stout enough for Crappie. Owner makes a great 90 degree hook, but I’m out of those. The Gamakatsu ones aren’t too bad.

 

[srock]

Thanks a lot for the tip. I will look up the video but the concept seems pretty straightforward. Best, SR

 

[karstopo]

Absolutely, it’s really just two materials. Marabou and the Arizona Simi Seal. I cut the pin tips off. I use a dubbing loop to put on the Simi Seal. Loops work better for me. I tease out the Simi Seal a little with a brush and try to even it out.

 

[joe_strummer]

A black Backstabber is far more than a carp fly -- it's a great all-around fly. I catch a lot of crappie on them like this one (and some grayling!) -- though if I'm searching for crappie I'm probably using a #2 or #4 Clouser in light blue/white.

 

[ia_trouter]

Never caught crappie on a fly. Used to fish for them with spinning tackle. With spinning tackle it was fun. Must be a blast on fly gear. I also recall that they run in schools so once they start biting you get some pretty good action.

It's especially fun on the fly when you get a school feeding on top. On my favorite lake you can often find them early summer starting just before dark. The water literally starts boiling with feeding fish all around my boat. Cast in any direction and wait 5-10 seconds for a hit. 50 fish was so easy it's not even a challenge. Now catching them when they are suspended 8 ft deep near brush is quite another matter. Flies that look like jigs and sink the way you desire can work but it's usually pretty challenging IMO. Definitely want to start with plenty of flies.

This fish is 14" long. Big crappie are generally tough to find in Iowa. They get quite a lot larger down south but I was thrilled to land this one. I've been trying to catch him again for several years now

 

[StaRQS]

Small clouser minnows

 

[dayhut]

Just to keep it simple:

The Grey Nymph
The original Casual Dress nymph, also in white rabbit fur with a red head
The aptly named Crappie Candy in chartreuse and white
That’s pretty much it