How to Tie a Crappie Rig
I’ve been fishing for crappie for a long time and have caught hundreds if not thousands. Crappie are one of the most entertaining fish to catch. There are many different techniques to fish for crappie but one of the more popular techniques used by fishermen is tying a crappie rig.
The good thing about this technique is you don’t need any special tools to do it- just your hands! This article will teach you how to tie a crappie rig in detail.
What are Crappie?
Crappie are a freshwater fish that live in North America, typically found in lakes and rivers. They are a smaller fish, growing to about 18 inches in length. Crappie have small mouths and can be caught using light tackle with artificial lures or bait such as worms fished on the bottom of your boat or in shallow water- they will even bite flies!
There is no one specific type of bait or fishing method for catching them; it’s up to the fisherman! The “crappie rig” we will be discussing today or a simple jig will do the trick.
What is a Crappie Rig?
A crappie rig is a simple way to catch fish. The rigging and knotting required for this type of fishing are so easy, you can tie them with your eyes closed! You will need three pieces (at least) of line. The pieces of line are tied together using a clinch knot or an Albright Special Knot. The crappie rig setup combines those multiple pieces of line to provide multiple places for a hook.
How does a Crappie Rig work?
A crappie rig is simply a line with some sort of bobber or floater that floats on top of the water. Underneath the water surface there is a length of fishing line down that may have one or more lures or jigs attached by swivel.
On each swivel there is another length of line that has a lure or jig attached. This gives you multiple hooks at different depths to optimize your chances of catching a crappie.
The fishing line is typically pulled up in a straight vertical column to the rod tip so that this rig can fish at any depth. The angler chooses what lure or jig they want, ties it on and then casts out their bait with some sort of weight attached.
Once in the water the multiple bait sets are at different water depths thereby maximizing the amount of area you can fish at one time.
How to Tie a Crappie Rig
You first want to start with length of fishing line that you are happy with. This could be 24-36 inches long or longer. The only thing to remember here about the length of your line segments is depth of the area where you are fishing. If you are fishing a shallow area then you will need a more shallow crappie rig setup.
Once you have that length of fishing line you will then attach a swivel near the bottom for a jig and then another swivel near the middle of your crappie rig to add another jig.
The diagram below shows some of the different options of how to tie a Crappie rig:
As you can see in the diagram that this optimizes the depth that you are fishing by having multiple jigs or lures on the same crappie rig. Once the swivels are in place you may then add your jigs either in advance or when you are out on the water.
How do you rig a minnow for Crappie?
Rigging a minnow is actually really simple and can be done with just a hook, weight, bobber and fishing line. You start with 4-6 pound line and put a bobber between 2-6 feet or based on the depth that you are fishing from the end of the line. You then tie a weight 6=24 inches from the end of the line where you will tie the hook.
You then hook your minnow onto hook and you are ready to go.
How to Tie a Crappie Rig: Double Rig
What is the Best Fishing Line for a Crappie Rig?
Some crappie fishermen prefer using monofilament fishing line when tying their own rigs. Mono is also known as clear or invisible mono, and it comes in a variety of different sizes for use on many types fish species; such examples include trout trolling lines to salmon trollers’ tippet material. The most popular size that
What is the Best Knot to Tie a Crappie Rig?
There are multiple knots to use when tying a crappie rig but the best knot is called an Albright Special Knot. This will show you how and why it’s so important in tying these types of rigs together when fishing with jigs for crappie.
Tying the Albright Special Knot is pretty simple once you have practice. I have included a diagram to show you exactly how to tie a crappie rig using the Albright special knot.
How deep should I fish for Crappie?
The best depth to fish for crappie is between 2 and 6 feet deep with plenty of cover. Cast your lures, flies or setup your bobbers as close to the beds as you can get. Give the Crappie plenty of time to swallow the bait before setting your hook and then you can reel your catch in.
What color Jig is Best for Crappie?
The best color for a Crappie Jig is Chartreuse because it resembles fish underwater. Chartreuse Jigs work in both clear and murky water. Chartreuse is definitely a color you need in your Crappie fishing arsenal.
What size Jig head is Best for Crappie?
1/16 Ounce
The best jig head size for Crappie is 1/16 ounce. The most common shape is round for a jig head. Most of the time I use either the 1/16 or the 1/8 sizes as they work the best for Crappie.
What is the Best month to catch Crappie?
The best month to catch crappie is during spawn. A good rule of thumb is to fish shallow during the cooler months during spring and fall, then fish deeper during the hot summer and cold winter. Play around with it until you find a technique that works for you. Crappie like to bed up in areas with good cover such as branches in the water or different structures you might have added.
What time of day is Best for Crappie fishing?
The best time to catch Crappie is during their feeding time, which is most frequently between the hours of midnight and 2 am. In addition to that, during early morning and early evening can be good times to catch Crappie.
Ever wondered if you can fish for Crappie at night? If you have – check out this article Do Crappie Bite at Night.
In Conclusion
And that’s it! You now know how to tie a crappie rig. Fishing is always more fun when you have the right tools, so be sure to pick up some fishing line and hooks at your local bait shop before heading out on the water. We hope this article has been informative for you and wish you luck with all of your future fishing endeavors!
Also, check out our articles in Freshwater Fishing or Saltwater Fishing!
