Panfish rigging help

[gmintimidator]

I was out fishing crappie this afternoon. I tried using the 2.5 swim fry on a jig head with no luck. The same with the 2.5 carrot. I tried dropshotting the 1.75 small fry. I got some nibbles but no takers with a no. 2 hook. I had the most luck with a micro tube on a bobber, although didn't land many fish. They would drop the bobber, and I'd set the hook and no one home.

Anyone has some ideas or suggestions? I was really looking forward to fishing crappie with all these great new molds.

[pjmcla]

Most will use either a 1/32 or 1/16 head with a #4 sickle ( some use a #2 ).  The #4 is more universal and will give a better hookup on smaller crappie  and bream as well.  A very lite & slim cork if fished under a cork; much like the smaller Mr. Crappie slip corks.  The main thing with crappie is to find the structure they are holding on.  They really like wood,  then concrete or rip rap.  Cloudy days or shade as they prefer low light on most occasions.  Bait color can be a big factor as well.   At least these are my experiences.

[Brent]

They all can be rigged with "tube head jigs" or ball style heads. The carrot baits try hooking it different way until you find an action that you like. hook it sideway, backwards or head first.
I use a G. Loomis  UL with a Shimano 500 series reel and Nano fill. 16" 2-4 floro leader with a 12ln invis-a-swivel. Jig heads are as light as possible, but need to be able to get where I want to fish.(punch weeds, or deeper water) I will also go heavier if the smaller fish are bothersome

I have tried the drop shot and it has worked. Im also going to work with a "rattling popping cork" like what is used for Sea trout this year.

[ctom]

You don't say where you live. I live in Minnesota and the panfish are still in pretty chilly water making baits the size you are taking about maybe a bit large yet. Summer's warm water will see crappies and sunfish nailing baits of that size but right now what you describe makes me think smaller sunfish and maybe smaller crappies are tapping just the tail end of your offerings. It'll be hard to do with that fry, but you can shorten the carrot by about 1/2-3/4" and slipping it on a 1.32 head with a #6 hook. I like to use the smallest possible float, one that "just" holds the bait up and one that will tip over on an upward hit.

Larger fish are going to be in places where the smaller ones aren't yet. Try on the edges of sunken wood and fish about 3" deep to start. If the fish are eating they'll rise to hit. Start higher like that and if they are hitting well for you you can slowly adjust the float deeper to fish your way to the bottom and not raise heck with the fish below where you're catching them.

Try some add-on scent. The Gulp Alive spray is a good one. Give the jig/plastic a shot, let it sit for a second and then have at it. If it gets fish, peat every ten minutes or as needed. Cod Liver Oil is a great bait dip that can be bought at any drug store pretty cheap.

Right now small hair jigs might be the answer too. Jigs like the flu-flu jigs in 1/32 and 1/16 can be hot, especially with a shot of scent. The feathers and hair hold onto the scent for a long time.

Its hard to say what the right answer for you is. But I'd shorten a plastic and go back at it and fish it under a float at this time of year. Use lighter lines too...4 pound is about the norm and I'd use a mono that's clear. Trilene XL clear is what I use for 90% of my spring fishing. As the water warms I slowly shift into using 4 pound nanofil without a float.   

[MonteSS]

I usually bass fish but started crappie and sunfish fishing bout a month ago. Water temps are about 70* here. I have been using a 1/16 jighead with #6 hook and a 2.25" jacobs Silverfish mold (like a little fluke). The crappie, bluegill, shellcracker, white perch and bass have been hitting it good. I cast out towards shore on steeper banks and let it sink slowly with a twitch now and then.

I will have to try it under a float as I see many drifting or trolling and doing that.

No expert but works for me.

...Bill

[gmintimidator]

Thank you all for the very helpful information.  I was in Port Perry Ontario on the weekend in a tourney.  The water was low 60's.

It sounds like my jig heads were too large.  The smallest I had was 1/4lb.  I did also try some plastic with toad explode as it was the only sauce I have purchased at this point just to try it out.

I did have some nanos with me, but didn't have a hook smaller than a 2...  completely forgot to check my box to see the hooks after I made sure I had all my plastics loaded.  I probably should've tried them.

My friend and I generally fish for Bass, but we both bought new to us bass boats in the past 6 months, so we're fishing anywhere we can at this point to get some use out of them.  Our bass season doesn't open till late June.

I would say you're right and they were just hitting the tail.  It was quite frustrating not being able to hook them.  A smaller hook with a nano would probably have been a good producer.

I tried a couple of rod setups.  I had 6lb mono on one rod, another had a swivel with 6lb leader and the #2 hook with a drop shot weight, others had the 1/4 oz jig head.

I do need to pick up a couple more bobbers, I borrowed one from my friend as mine was a bit too big to notice the upward hit.

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to post and help a guy out.

[Lamar]

Lake Scugag. I've fished that before. Mostly have gone a little north east of you to Pigeon Lake and Buckhorn Lake. That water is crystal clear. Your spinner bait looks like it is suspended in air while fishing it. My profile picture is a bass from Buckhorn. Love fishing the weeds up there. Smallmouth, Largemouth or a big old Muskie, you never know what your going to catch. Especially Pigeon has some of the biggest blue gill I've ever seen. We always take fly rods just to play with them. It's been a few years since I've been there but I believe it's call Paradise Island ? Down on the lower south end of Pigeon. When the blue gills spawn there are thousands of hand size gills there.