| One of the most important things to remember | | | | choose a lure based on how it looks in your box, |
| when choosing a lure is that what worked | | | | that is just too metro-sexual and this is a man's |
| yesterday may not work today. Next up | | | | sport so get over it. |
| remember that what worked in one location most | | | | Starting with plastics the main goal here is to |
| likely will not work in another. There are reasons | | | | resemble the shape, color and size of a potential |
| that crappie move around one of which is that | | | | target food. Of course trying to capture the |
| they want some variety in their diet. If you find | | | | behavior of live bait is also included but that relies |
| that they like a silver minnow in one spot they | | | | on you knowing what to do when it comes to |
| may not like it in another. This can be | | | | presentation. Plastics can look so very much like |
| disheartening at times especially when you are | | | | the object of the crappies affection that it can be |
| fishing outside of spawning season. | | | | scary but the real question is how does it behave |
| Don't forget you have a bigger brain, although it | | | | and look in the water. Often times these lures are |
| may not seem like it sometimes, it is your job to | | | | stiff in the water and do not present well. They |
| know what the crappie is looking for. So start by | | | | do have their advantages because they look so |
| knowing what bait fish are in the area. Do not | | | | much like live food so when using these be sure |
| make the same mistake that so many do and | | | | to use lighting to your advantage. These absorb |
| assume that the crappie is looking for minnows. | | | | scents or can be called 'scentless'. I have never |
| There are lots of other foods out there. | | | | had success with using scents on any type of |
| Throughout the year crappie will eat everything | | | | lure. |
| including worms, minnows, crawdads, snakes, | | | | Next up cloth or feather type lures, I'm ignoring |
| frogs, tadpoles and every type of bug it can | | | | the plastic lures that try to behave like cloth. |
| catch. I've even known them to chase after a | | | | These have an advantage over plastics because |
| bare hook and a finger dangling in the water. | | | | of the presentation. These lures do not look much |
| There so many varieties and categories for lures | | | | like real crappie food but when they are wet they |
| that it's hard to find a spot to start. So let us | | | | do look a lot better. When the cloth or feather |
| begin by defining three categories of lures: plastics, | | | | lure is wet it adheres more to the fluid dynamics |
| cloth or feather and live. Of course there are | | | | and when pulled correctly buy a line and a quick |
| mixes of those but let's start at the basics. | | | | wrist it will swim just like a bait fish does when |
| With every type of lure we have to consider | | | | swimming. These are hard to visualize because |
| how it behaves in the water not just how flashy | | | | they change shape so much when they are in the |
| it looks in your tackle box. This is one of the | | | | water. |
| biggest mistakes that people make so do not | | | | |