favorite setup for dem crappie

[MNwallyfisher]

thats for the tip i think im gonna go fish right....... wait.. wait.. NOW! bye guys

[carlos the iceman campos]

i know last year i was limiting out daily on some 10 inch plus specks and they were vicious and i would stop my jig about six feet above them on the flasher and they would come up and slam it
so i think it all depends on how lethargic they are cuse on other lake specks will stare at the bait for 10 minutes and then drift off no mater the bait or jig

[Pipe]

My fishing partner Scout says you have to keep moving with them cause crappie like to swim around in a circle. He always slams them but he'll put 20 to 30 holes in the ice.

['SOTAboy]

I always find crappies in about 40 feet of water suspended at around 30-35 feet

[Indiana_ice]

I always find crappies in about 40 feet of water suspended at around 30-35 feet

Very good tip! And if you find this hole next to a steep drop you can fish it year around with good success. In the summer I try to fish the wall between 18-30' with some of the best bite at 20'!
Drop a minnow to the bottom to pick up some jumbo perch too!!

[davejohnson2]

in the lake we fish we were last catching in 8-12 feet of water fishing over 16 feet of water

[gpalma]

When the crappie are super-finicky in water under 8'...

Generally use 2.2# Tectan on a very limber rod, with a reel having a smooth drag and a super-soft spring bobber. I use a Mustad 32756 short shank jig hook in size #10 and will open the hook gap slightly to give a more positive hookset. The bait is sent down with a #6-#4 English Fly Shot (HT Ent) placed 12" up the line. The bait that i use is nothing more than a triangular section ice tail that tapers to a needle point. The 1-1/4" tails from kjbplastics.com are as good as you will find. Thread them onto the hook and position the knot so that the tail hangs horizontal. My go-to colors are red, bubblegum and flo pink. The idea is to get the tail moving ever so slowly, just enough to make the tail tip vibrate. The bait is constantly in motion as you slowly raise/lower the bait through the water column. Will generally outfish any other method when they are not active.

For aggressive crappie...

Then I switch to a willow-shaped jig and my fav is a Rembrandt...a big one! Tie on with Tectan 4# and use a Duncan Loop to get max action. I use tails as above but one can include white, chart or glow in the mix. The tails are either threaded on partially or double-hooked so that the tail is horizontal in the water. When the crappie are really on the bite at late ice, I look straight down the hole and use my body position to shade the hole for better visibility. Pound hell out of the jig as you raise/lower it anywhere from a foot to 4 or 5 foot under the ice. Then let it sit and quiver it. I will even pound it up 2 or 3 foot and pound it back down to attract them, then quiver it in place. If I do not have a strike at a hole in 30 seconds when they are aggressive...I am looking for another hole.