Marabou Jigs
Few jigs are a popular or as effective as the marabou. Constructed out of marabou feathers with a chenille collar, these simple jigs impart a subtle action that drive crappies nuts--especially in the cold waters of spring.
Use smaller jigs, such as 1/80 to 1/32 ounce, in clear water conditions where the fish have a lot of time to look over your offering. Be sure to use natural colors in a clear environment; white or pale yellow are good choices.
In large lakes or reservoirs, successful anglers use 1/16 to 1/8 ounce jigs to get deeper. Run some brighter colors as well; sometimes it take a combination of colors like chartreuse, orange and red to get the crappies' attention.
Curly Tail Grubs
With their imparted, twisting action, curly tail grubs are a great jig choice in the spring. Allow the jig to sink past the holding crappies and then slowly retrieve it. Pause the jig during the retrieve--this will draw a strike from a curious crappie that is just following behind.
This style jig can also be used if you are fishing vertically above obstructions, such as stumps or brush piles. Since the curly tail will twist with the lightest movements, use a light lift and drop of the rod tip to get the jig working for you. Hang on tight--the action from these soft plastic lures can really draw a hard strike.
Bucktail Jigs
When the hair of a bucktail jig flairs out while on the fall, it produces a unique action spring crappies find hard to resist. These hair jigs initially need action from the angler, but it's the way the hair moves in the water that drives crappies nuts. As with other jigs, think small and natural when faced with clear or shallow environments. When crappies move up into reed beds in the spring to spawn, they are wary and are easily spooked by large or bright lures.
Suspending the jig under a float or adding a small minnow to the back can be other great ways to lure springtime crappies.
