Purchasing a crappie mold to make your own baits is a wise decision. It is a great hobby, very enjoyable and allows you to completely customize your colors. As for the best one - well it all depends on how you fish and your style.
Here's what I would do, in order:
1. Crappie Carrot 2.5"
Many crappie fisherman shy away from any bait over two inches, however this is all psychological. Consider the sizes of shad crappie are eating - most are at least two inches if not a lot bigger. With the 2.5" bait you are doing a great job matching the hatch. Don't worry about it cutting down on the numbers you catch, you'll be amazed at the number of 4" crappie that will hammer this bait. Besides you always have the option of cutting 1/2" or even more off for a smaller bait.
2. Crappie Carrot 1.75"
This is the tail mold for the 2.5. If you want to make two color baits that look great with ease then put this on the list. Also if you or your buddies want a smaller bait here it is. I prefer to use the 2.5" carrot, however if they are short striking on a particular day I will put on the 1.75.
Carrot rigging - this is up to you and your style. I normally use 1/16th to 1/8th oz round ball jig head. The size hook is a personal preference. Lately I’ve been using #2 sickle hooks, just plain lead. You can use painted if you want. You can pitch these jigs and let them slowly fall back, cast and retrieve or vertical fish.
3. Small Fry 2.5”
I haven’t had this bait very long, however have been extremely impressed. I truly believe it will be a great bait that will always be on one of my rods. I say the 2.5 because it is the only one of the three sizes I have, the others will be fine. This mold shoots a dozen at a time and it is easy to shoot laminates. The triangle tail gives this bait a great action. Don’t worry about the length, the profile of this bait allows it to fish much smaller than it really is. I truly believe it will shine its brightest this winter in cold water.
I’ve been fishing it the same as the carrot baits.
4. Go Go Grub
If you ever use a grub this is the very best on the market! I asked Jason earlier this year to put out a triple ripple, he hit a grand slam with this one! I never expected the tail to move so fluid with such little effort. It takes very little movement to make the tail dance. The bait is small in diameter and requires a smaller jig hook, however it will catch a lot of fish – and big ones at that.
I like to throw this on a 1/16th oz jig head. Just pitch it out and let it fall back or cast and retrieve. When you do hold on to your rod!
5. Wutz It 2.5”
This is a shad body with the carrot tail – this bait has a big profile. Don’t let the size scare you, it doesn’t the crappie. Perfect size bait it comparison to small shad. I poured a few dozen for a friend to fish the Crappie Masters Ultimate Challenge with this last summer. He did very well and couldn’t believe how it performed. This mold also makes beautiful laminates.
Prefer to fish this vertical by dipping trees with a long rod, however casting and retrieving work well with this bait.
These are the baits I have tied on most of the time, however I’m looking forward to trying the flap jack. If you have any questions feel free to send me a private message. If you would like a sample dozen or two of any of these let me know and I’ll stick some in the mail.
Brad
