Crappie Tubes
Crappie fishing has been made a lot easier since the introduction of crappie tubes. They have become a standard part of crappie fishing equipment. For a lot of anglers crappie tubes have replaces minnows as the crappie fishing baits of choice. Some of the reasons for this are:
- A crappie tube jig is easier to use than a minnow.
- Soft plastic crappie tubes are not messy to use.
- Crappie tubes are easier to gather if dropped.
- There are no problems with keeping crappie tubes alive – especially if the weather is hot.
- Crappie tube jigs are a lot more durable then the alternatives.
- You can catch many fish with each crappie tube. It has been known to catch as many as thirty fish without the tube coming off – something that doesn’t happen with minnows.
- They are more likely to stay on if snagged on brush, and if they do get hung up then they are a lost easier to retrieve.
- Crappie tubes are very versatile, and easily adapt to varying fishing and water conditions.
- They are easy to use – especially for beginner or younger anglers.
- You can keep a wide variety of crappie tubes in your tackle box so you are always ready for whatever conditions you find.
Of course the best reason to use crappie tubes as part of your crappie fishing equipment is that they catch a lot of fish! Crappie are known to be notoriously fickle, one day they will hit just about anything (including fingers!) and the next they won’t even look at the most tempting minnow. This means that the main skill an angler needs to develop is finding out what will attract the fish that day and in that place. This is an occasion when crappie tubes really help – it is a lot easier to vary your crappie fishing baits if you are suing tubes then if you have a bucket of minnows!
When using crappie tubes there are some colour guidelines:
- In clear water you will need to match natural food items, so use something like silver or grey, and if jigging at the bottom then use dark greens and browns.
- In darker or stained water then use something bright or glittery that will stand out and attract the attention of the crappie. When fishing in darker or stained waters they way to attract the fish is to attract attention so brightness and vibration of the bait is essential to getting hits.
- Use the brightness of the day as a guide to how bright your crappie tube should be – the brighter the day the brighter the tube. For night fishing jet black lures can be very effective.