Do Crappie Like Worms or Minnows? 3 Live Bait Secrets Revealed
If you are a fisherman, but not sure what bait to use for crappie fishing, then this blog post is for you! There are some fishermen that rave about using live worms whereas other swear by using minnows too so it might be worth experimenting with both types of bait before settling on one type.
In this blog post, you will learn whether Crappie like worms or minnows best and some best bait practices for catching your limit.
Do Crappie Like Worms or Minnows?
Crappie like minnows the best and will almost always bite a lively minnow swimming around. Crappie love small baitfish because they are more active in the water. Crappie will still bit worms as well as long as they are still lively and moving around under the water.
Do Crappie Like Minnows?
Yes, do crappie like minnows. Minnows are one of the best types of bait to use when fishing for crappie and they do not do well with worms. Crappie do best with smaller bait which makes them ideal for catching small fish like minnows and worms.
Will Crappie Bite Dead Minnows?
Yes, I have had Crappie bit dead minnows before but they prefer live bait that is constantly moving about in the water. They cannot resist a lively minnow that is moving around as it will catch their eye.
What are Crappie Fish Attracted To?
Crappie are attracted to many different things such as movement from a minnow or worm, different color lures or jigs and even light. Crappie are ferocious eaters and will attack pretty much anything that moves or draws their attention. One of the best things to fish for Crappie is live minnows as they move around under the water which attracts the Crappie.
Are Jigs or Minnows Better For Crappie?
It is really personal preference as both jigs and minnows are effective for fishing for Crappie. Jigs are a simple bait that you do not have to replace very often so it is possible to catch many Crappie off of one jig whereas live minnows will need to be changed out from time to time as they will ultimately die from the trauma of the hook that you put in them. In that regard, Jigs are better but Crappie.
Related: How to Fish For Crappie with a Jig
What Type of Minnows Do Crappie Eat?
Crappie do not really have a preference when it comes to types of minnows or other small baitfish. Crappie will eat minnows, shad, shiners, suckers, baby bluegill, baby yellow perch, bass, or basically anything else that swims around them. Even though they will eat all of those different foods, one of the most commonly used baitfish is flathead minnows as they are readily available to use.
Related: What Do Crappie Eat
What Kind of Minnows are Crappie Minnows?
The most common kind of minnows used to fish for Crappie are Flathead Minnows as they are the most commonly available and used in Crappie fisheries across the country.
Where Do You Hook a Minnow For Crappie?
You hook a minnow for Crappie by slipping the thin hook either near the tail, or in the middle of the back. These locations will allow the minnow to be hooked sufficiently so that the Crappie will be able to take the bait and be hooked while still allowing the minnow to stay alive longer moving under the water. Either one of these locations will keep the minnow lively so that you will get more bites.
How Do You Rig Crappie With Minnows?
The best way to rig Crappie with minnows is to set up a line with multiple leader lines coming off of it at different depths. Each of these lines will have a hook setup and a minnow on it. This will allow you to have multiple minnows or pieces of bait in the water at a time on one rod.
Related: How to Tie a Crappie Rig
3 Live Bait Secrets:
Size Matters. The first thing you need to know about using live bait is that the size matters. You will want to use larger minnows during the pre-spawn because the Crappie are trying to build and store up some energy for the spawn. Once the summer sets in you can move down in size to a smaller minnow.
Use a thin hook. The second thing that is important when using minnows is you want the minnow to stay alive longer so that you get the most out of each minnow. Using a thin hook will minimize the damage to the minnow and allow for it to swim around longer. Large gauge hooks will disable and ultimately kill the minnow sooner.
Keep your live bait cool. It is important to keep your live bait cool during the day. Take advantage of shade either on your boat or from a nearby tree. I like to keep my minnows in a styrofoam container as it will hold temperature better. Minnows that are kept cool during the day will be more lively when you put them on the hook.
