Good morning Jason. Thanks for replying back. What are your favorite lures, plastics, and bait for catching crappies on the lakes and river? Thanks, Bill
For fishing crappies i always have a 1/32 jig with a yellow twister tail set up on a 6-6 st croix avid utrlalite, 4lbs test on a shimano symetre 1000. this definately is my go to set up. I only buy twisters that will have a rapid tail flutter when free falling even with the 1/32 oz. jig. I know that mister twister brand dont have the action i like so i dont buy them and dont know what brand it is that i buy i just know the local sport shop carries them. Second bait of choice is a pink crappie stinger.
Jason26
What are some of everyone elses favorite crappie setup?
Jason26
Have you ever tried the Culprit Paddle Tail Grubs better known as paddletails? Alot of people fish them below a bobber but they can be casted as well. In the southern part of Minnesota these have proven to be a very good plastic for crappies.
Thanks, Bill
I have never tried using any type of jig head for fishing bluegills (for gills I use wax worms or jumbo red worms on a blood hook with/without a bobber) or crappies (for crappies I just use minnows on blood hooks and bobbers). I have caught gills on flies and some panfish plastics – but my main fishing is with live bait.
Love to use crickets till the bite slows down,
then use worms till the bite slows down,
then switch back to crickets.
Back and forth, back and forth.
Then wait till I lay down at night and can still see
a bobber going under even with my eyes closed.
It doesn’t matter how young or how old we are are, we all love seeing the bobber go down. 
Bobber fishing for crappies and bluegills is probably the most used and loved way of fishing for them. It brings out the ”little kid” in us with the excitement of knowing theres a fish on the end of the line when we see the bobber go down. 
And we are very fortunate today that there are better and more fish catching bobbers on the market than ever. The days of just having the old style fat round red and white bobber, even though they still catch alot of fish, but we have more slimlined bobbers or sometimes called floats made from different materials that give away even the slightest tug or nibble of a fish. And with all the new specialized panfish rods and reels and jigs and lines and plastics and techniques we can catch more panfish and have more fun catching them. And did you know that more people got their start in fishing from fishing for panfish? And that panfishing is the most popular way of fishing for millions of people? Yes catching crappies and bluegills and other kinds of panfish is becoming more and more popular. There are even crappie tournaments and crappie boats. It all adds up to us all learning better ways to catch fish and having better equipement to catch these festy fighting fish on ultra light rods that makes it so much fun.
Do I sound like I’m getting older? Like a guy who likes to fish walleye tournaments getting mellow? lol. I fish tournaments to have fun with my fishing buddies. I’ve never been a real competive guy and certainly not a competitive fishing tournament nut like my son Nate [he lives for walleye tournaments]. And he even says its my fault. 
I just like love to fish and share about fishing and talk fishing and panfishing is a great way to create many chances of fishing between tournaments. [did you hear that Nate]. Its a fun way to fish more often. It can be done from a boat and from shore. Only got a couple of hours to spare then panfishing a close by body of water is a chance to fish. Ever wonder why my son Nate can sit in a boat and detect a slight rod tip movement or the slightest difference or vibration in a rod tip that nobody else can see? Its from the many times in his life as a child shore fishing at Foster Arends Lake in Rochester for trout and anything that would bite and constantly watching that rod tip for a fish to even breath on his line. Yes, fishing for crappies and bluegills and trout and for whatever is biting makes better fisherman out of all of us. And its lots of fun too. Do you have a child of your own or know a child who loves to fish or even has never been fishing? Take them fishing and you will not only have fun yourself but will also show that child a hobby that will change their life for the better. Right Nate?!!!
Thanks, Bill
A trip I look forward to each spring is to go to the Ia great lakes and fish the canals.Basic ice fishing equipment is what you use.The fish congregate around the docks and most of the docks are public and you go from dock to dock and fish tight to the wood.This action ussually starts while west lake still has a ice cover ussually in a day I will end up with a mixed bag of gills and crappies. It is a good kid trip as they can see the fish alot of the time 
I like to throw a Chubby Mini Mite with a long light action rod.
I have not tried the paddletails but definately will check them out. Any particuar colors? Never can have to many baits in the arsenal. You are right that everyone likes to see that bobber to down. Here is one thing i will try. If i catch a crappie on a piece of structure but cant get another hit in that spot I will put on a slip bobber a piece of slit shot and a bare hook. Put a minnow on and let it hang over the brush. Most of the time it will produce more fish off the the brush. I sometime have to remind myself crappies school and if I get one there more than likely are more.
In no particular order:
paddle tails, mini mites, flicktails, 1/80 to 1/32 oz. hair jigs, chena bait. Some times I will tip the jigs with a waxie if the bite is slow, but most of the time that is not necessary. I usually fish these under a bobber.
Good Fishing,
Mike
Absolute favorite set up for icing slabs is a red or pink glo front with gold back I would guess about a #4 tipped with about a minnow head deadsticking with a vex 
For me Bill its a slip bobber and a minnow for crappies and a slip bobber plus a small piece of nightcrawler on a no. 6 aberdeen hook for bluegills. Theres times when certain things work better or you don’t have to bother with a minnow or even a bobber but i know this way works most of the time and is my old standby. I really like too see bluegills in the 6 or better inch range or better on thier spawning bed in the spring where its take your choice of the gills you want. I use 4 pound test for all my fishing, except pike, used to use 6 but 4’s more versatle for the fish i fish for, just fill the spool and set the drag for thier runs. I know thiers times when spinners, jigs etc. work better than live bait but i start with live bait first then go from there.
I have found that when it comes to paddletails my best colors are black/chartruse and chartruse pepper. I see you like yellow twister tails. There is a color that has yellow and white in the body and a black tail and is called Bumble Bee. The Mini Mites are good along with the Flicktails and twister tails too. And of course there is the minnow and worms too for panfish. All of the above work very well below a bobber/float.
Thanks, Bill
I just love fishing for panfish through the ICE…..it’s sooooo much fun staring down at a hole all day waiting for that bobber to move 
See how much fun it is……….
Jake you need a Vex or Marcum that way you can have fun watching blips on the screen all day
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