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Now that you know more about how to catch winter crappie, buy your freshwater fishing license and find a spot near you to catch them.Course Technology PTR A part of Cengage LearningĪustralia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, United States When you do get a bite, be careful not to tear the hook out of the fish's mouth.
Crappie are often referred to as "papermouths" because they have delicate lips that can tear quite easily. However, this certainly isn't a hard and fast rule, so if the crappie aren't responding to what you are offering, be willing to experiment!Ĩ. Vertical jigs often tend to be more effective during changing light conditions or at night while horizontal jigs are often best used during the day. Be willing to experiment and switch up your lures or baits. You'll also need to pay extra close attention to your line because the bite can be very light during the winter.ħ. Crappie won't aggressively pursue baits or lures in cold water because they are trying to conserve energy. Using a slow, methodical presentation is important when crappie fishing in winter.
Tip your jigs with a live minnow or waxworm and your presentation will be even more irresistible to cold weather crappies.Ħ. Try using 1/16 to 1/8-ounce marabou or curly-tail jigs in white, yellow, pink and chartreuse. Entice winter crappies into feeding tipping your jigs with a live minnow. Use your sonar or fish finder to locate the baitfish and crappie schools so that you know where you need to drop your baits in order to get them into the "strike zone." Success at cold weather crappie fishing depends on the ability to find and stay on the fish.ĥ. During the winter months, crappies tend to school up in deeper water. If you are fishing for winter crappie through the ice at night, be sure to put ice fishing safety measures into practice, and take a fishing buddy along on your trip.Ĥ. Changing light conditions will often trigger feeding activity. One way to catch more winter crappie is to fish at dusk or during the evening hours. You may need drop the weight of your line down from six or eight-pound test to three or four-pound test.ģ.
When crappie fishing in winter, try using lighter line to help entice fussy crappies into biting. In most situations, a 5 to 7-foot medium to slow action rod will work well for cold weather crappie fishing.Ģ. Bring along a light or ultra-light spinning combo. You can have plenty of panfish fun during the winter months, just remember these crappie fishing tips.ġ. However, that doesn't mean that crappie are difficult to catch. Crappie are known for being freshwater nomads that move around lakes or rivers just as much during the winter as they do any other season of the year. If you want to test your fish finding skills and like to experiment with artificial lures, try crappie fishing in winter.