Crappie nibbles?

[Jason Preslar]

I've heard that these work great for crappie and panfish too when you tip a jig with them. Used them for the first time yesterday and got 2 strong hits that completely sunk my cork but no fish either time I set the hook. Seems like the fish are just hitting the nibble maybe?? But seems like it would have to get the hook too?? Opinions are appreciated!! Not sure if the gills or the crappie were hitting it. It was almost dark. Thanks a lot.

[Allen Morgan]

Jann's Netcraft has circle hooks down to size 12, I believe.  You might want to think about a size 18 or 20 dry-fly hook. That hook won't be much bigger than the crappie nibble.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Thanks, Allen. Going anywhere near fly-fishing gear is a daunting proposition for me. But perhaps I could cut loose just this once....

[Allen Morgan]

You don't "have" to get all the fly-fishing stuff.  Just get a pack of hooks. 

You can do what is called "float and fly".  Use a weighted float, clipped to the line on you favorite bluegill pole.  Tie the fly hook to the line/leader, and put on a crappie nibble.  You could use an unweighted float, but you'll want to add some split shot to the line.  The eyes on those things are microscopic, so you'll probably be limited to 4- or 2-lbs test, maybe smaller.

I've learned that Green Sunfish are attracted to chartreuse.  I've actually watched them bite the chartreuse stop knot on my line for a slip float, 2' ABOVE the bait.  I've seen people here just a plain tiny jig, 1/64 (or smaller), tip it with a chartreuse Crappie Nibble, and pull Green Sunnies out of the water every minute or so.  They aren't big, but then, these folks are using the sunnies for Flathead bait.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Thanks, Allen. I was mostly kidding about the fly fishing stuff. I use what works...

It is time to switch to weighted floats it would seem. You are the 2nd person to make that recommendation. If nothing, I'm adaptable.

Chartreuse is an interesting color. It seems to have universal appeal to both sunfish and bass. This makes sense, since they are in the same family of fishes. This season passed I discovered that chartreuse, along with white, were the most productive warm-water combinations I could use. It got to the point hat all my outfits had one or the other - or both - attached to them! Even the gar liked them.

I dont know if this applies only to my waters or not, but I know it worked. Now, to try something different in the cold water. Some of those 'Gronaw Getters' and crappie nibbles might be the ticket.

[Jason Preslar]

When I'm fishing ponds the float tactic works great and is a blast. But when I fish bigger waters I don't have near as much luck with it. I use a wad of crawler with a split shot on those waters and catch tons. Good luck.

[Tony Livingston]

When I used to fish big water, I used to consider a big BOW as being nothing more than several small BOW all grouped together. In other words, find a cove or an inlet off the main body and treat it like a small pond....As winter progresses, the fish may well move out into the main body, and onto deeper flats. But right now, there are a lot of standing weeds in the shallower water (Say around 10-12') that should hold fish. As winter continues and these weeds die off, the fish will move out deeper.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Im gonna give that a try, Jason. I noticed that once summer really came on strong, the worm thing kinda slacked off. Certainly once the sun got high, the fish found other places to go than where I was. A faster presentation seemed to do better at that point. This was about the time the Beetle Spins kicked in and put a grin on my face.....

Now that the water has cooled and the season has changed in earnest, your bottom hugging worm might be a better trick. Maybe Ill add a chartreuse crappie nibble to sweeten things up! Thanks for your comments.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Tony, I go a step further and view every *foot* of water as an individual BOW. Just this past September, I inadvertently drifted into a small patch of weeds at the waterline because my attention was drawn to something else. When I realized I was "beached," I got it together and started moving off to deeper water. Looking over the gunwale of my kayak, I watched what had to be a large bass move directly away from my bow.

This was in no more than a foot of water and that fish was there the whole time. I wasn't angling for it, admittedly, but I was completely unaware of its presence.
This suggests that every foot, and certainly every yard of water could hold a fish. What I learned from this is that I must view things in a microscopic way. I won't go very far, but I can better hope to delve the waters intimate secrets. If  nothing else, I must try to be more thorough.
I will try each method, worm and nibble, float and slip sinker. The deepest water I can access will be my target.

As the water has cooled this fall, two things stand out on my *LARGE* BOW -
1. Clarity. The water has turned briskly clean and clear. I can easily see double the distance into the water as opposed to the summer. This must surely have a serious impact on the fishing.

2. A dearth of fishes. They have, for all intents, disappeared from the shallows. I've gotten nary a nibble lately, although I have persisted in flinging spinners and other "fast" baits up til now. It is time to give that up, I think.