Crappie lures are made of wood, plastic, or metal objects, often designed to resemble or mimic its prey. These fishing lures are equipped with one or many hooks that are used to catch or bait fish. However, lures outfitted with large single hooks are generally preferred to those with treble hooks, as the wider gap of the single hooks hold fish better and is much easier to extricate. Crappie fishermen usually have a good selection of artificial crappie lures to consider at the tackle shop. For the novice anglers such an assortment of attractive lures may confuse or over-complicate the selection process. A good way to start a selection of crappie lures for the tackle box is to procure one of the "Crappie Kits" featured on the shelves of many retailers.
Small streamers and wet flies remain the deadliest of all crappie lures, especially during spring when these fish move into the shallows to spawn. If you locate spawning crappies in the shallows, cast the lure the darker-colored fish, which is the male and considerably more aggressive that the females. However, once crappies leave the shallows, this fly-fishing technique is not as productive. Small crankbaits can also catch crappies in shallow waters. Because of their diminutive sizes, these decoys do not dive to deep depths. Small crankbaits are shallow water lures and most effective when crappies are in shallow water.
The most difficult time to catch crappie is in frigid conditions. That's because in winter crappie go into deep holes and slow their metabolism.
Jigs with a round or ball head are most appropriate for fishing deep waters. Such lures can sink faster and easily bounce off any underwater structures. Bullet-shaped jigs are excellent when drifting, and are proficient for crappie fishing. Crappies change their color striking preferences from day to day, and even throughout a single day. Therefore, anglers equip their tackle boxes with a variety of colorful crappie lures, and in so doing have one that will bait the paper-mouth panfish. Crappie fishermen deploy several techniques to locate these fish, including trolling, drifting, and even casting into likely spots along with bank.