Crappie are versatile feeders, eating most types of insects, worms, and small crayfish and minnows. This variety of forage makes choosing baits for crappie fairly simple. Just about every angler has one bait that he or she swears will outfish any other. This is because that person probably uses that particular bait much more than any other. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, because having confidence in your bait is almost as important as having a bait at all. As a rule of thumb, if the fish are eating it, keep using it. When the fish seem to stop eating it, don't keep using it. If the fish aren't biting, you can try three things:

• Try a different presentation. That is slow down, speed up, twitch, or change your retrieve in some way.

• Try a different color lure. Crappie are especially famous for being color picky. Simply switching from a green jig to a yellow one can make the difference between a few bites and a stringer of slabs.

• Change baits completely. If you have been using minnows all day and have caught no fish, try switching to a small spinner or jig. The fish could want something with more or less action than your bait produces, so you must experiment until you find what they want. Most baits will catch plenty of fish provided they are presented to the fish in the right way at the right time. That means choosing a lure is about 50% trial-and-error and 50% your preference. Though minnows and worms are often very effective for catching crappie, I rarely use them because of their cost and/or effort to catch them. The three types of lures that I use most and I recommend to all crappie anglers are:

• When choosing a color, There are some guidelines to follow. Choosing Colors

• Maribou Jigs- These are the small jigs that have little furry bodies and puffy, feathery tails. They come in many sizes and tons of colors,are very durable, and are fairly cheap to buy (I catch them on sale at Wal-Mart for $.25 for a four-pack). They can also be easily made at home with some yarn and pipe cleaners. These jigs are perfect for finesse fishing picky crappie, vertical jigging over structure, or suspending under a bobber. I prefer a 1/16 or 1/32 oz. jig.

• Curly-tail Grubs- These are the soft plastic baits that have curly tails on the back that produce lots of action when jigged or retrieved steadily. They come in many sizes. Rig them with a 1/8- 1/64 oz. jig head, depending on conditions and preference.

• Small Spinners- These are great lures to use when crappie fishing. This is because they are very versatile, effective, and fairly weedless. What we mean by versatile is that you never know just what you are going to catch on them. You can Catch Bass, Bluegill, Catfish, and Pike and who knows wahat else. Wal-Mart caries several sizes of the individual spinners, but the absolute smallest ones are the best. You may also found that gold blades seem to produce slightly more strikes than the normal silver. The following is a sample of some spinners you can use.

• Small Willow Leaf Blade- This is a very effective type of blade and seems to work well on most species. Try rigging it with a 2" tube bait or curly tail.

• Small Silver Colorado (circular) Blade- This blade type produces a lot of vibrations and can be fished very slowly. Rig with 2" tube bait or, for even more action, add a curly tail to it. This combo is great for very stained, dark water.

• Small Gold Blade- My Favorite! A tiny, gold, Colorado (or willow leaf) blade with a 1/32 oz. jig head and a hot-colored, 2" tube bait is a dynamite lure for nearly any freshwater species. I suggest going to Wal-Mart and picking up a 2-pack of these tiny gold spinners. You will be glad you did!

• Beetle Spin- These come in tons of colors, sizes, and brands, but they have never let me down. The 1/8 and 1/16 oz. sizes are perfect for crappie as well as other fish. They are also a good choice.

• Small Crankbaits- If you can find a small, minnow-shaped crankbait (a 1/8 or 1/16 oz. Rat-L-Trap is excellent), you may be able to catch a few bigger, more active crappie. You can also use Yo Zuri Snap Beans. They are very tiny crankbaits that come in a pack with a 1/16 and 1/32 oz. size. They are expensive, but are the best micro-cranks out Tthere. These baits can be effectively fished by trolling or casting and retrieving. They are great for locating the depth at which larger crappie are feeding or suspending. Try one the next time you are faced with one of these situations.