# Crappie Flies?



## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Just wondering what patterns have produced for the guys using long rods

I've had them going on small clousers and epoxy-head shiners in the last few years, but really never designed a fly specifically for specs.

Any favorites?


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

I don't know about crappie, but it seems gills will go after just about anything. Poppers, small suspended nymphs, etc.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Yup

The only problem there is getting those flies through the bluegills down to the specs. :lol:

Steve, you'll have to come over to the east side in the next couple of weeks  Maybe Easter weekend if you're not heading north


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## Nighttimer (Jul 24, 2001)

Ralf,

I've done well on various woolly buggers with a weighted head. Cones or lead eyes have worked well and give the fly a jigging motion. They love to hit it on the drop. White has probably worked best for me, but olive/brown has done well too. I usually fish a size 4 streamer hook to avoid the gills.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Chartreuse clousers with antifreeze tinsel and a red throat took some real real trophies. I agree with the larger hook. 



















That's until Mid-May. After that I have trouble getting them on flies, but not on 2" twistertails/jig combos (white). Must be the action of that tail????

I'm working on some woolly buggers with a thin rabbit strip tail, but also entertained using some yak hair on clousers. It's quite a bit softer than buck and might just provide the additional movement to trigger the strike


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## Nighttimer (Jul 24, 2001)

The rabbit strip tail is a good idea. Combine that with a weighted head and I think you will get a lot of movement out of the tail. Might not compare to a twister tail, but I think it would still work. Are you jigging the twister tail or is it a slow retrieve?

BTW, nice specs!


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Ralf, looks like fun but I'm going up north Easter. Definitely need to get over to your side though


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

I tied up a bunch of white maraboo streamers with red, blue etc.. ice dub heads over clouser eyes just for those crappie. Here is a pic with one or two near the bottom, redhead







2nd up on left


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Nighttimer said:


> Are you jigging the twister tail or is it a slow retrieve


Yeah, sort of a jig twitch. We call it the Parkinson's twitch

Anytime Steve!

Nice stuff, Paul. Stay tuned. Won't be long


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## Nighttimer (Jul 24, 2001)

Shoeman said:


> Yeah, sort of a jig twitch. We call it the Parkinson's twitch


Then I think the rabbit tail should do the trick. Let us know how it works out.


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## Dora the Explorer (Aug 5, 2008)

After a few glasses of wine, most of my flies are quite crappie.
D


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## tommytubular (Jan 25, 2002)

Dora the Explorer said:


> After a few glasses of wine, most of my flies are quite crappie.
> D


:lol: too funny

I don't think that pic does that fish in the net justice... That has to be a master angler crappie.


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## DuckDog (Feb 10, 2004)

Crappie flies are something you get when you fish the Clinton river after a big rain storm. :lol:

I tie weighted maribou streamers for crappie.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

tommytubular said:


> That has to be a master angler crappie.



That was one of 3 that year (06). Here's the biggest and my personal best on the fly. A 15 1/2" dinner plate










I did a little research a few months back and was floored by the amount of 18" M/A fish coming out of somewhat "local water" each season. Too bad the timing is right around the peak of trout, walleye and smallmouth :help:

I may have solved my problem with materials. Tied a couple of white Yak hair clousers yesterday using Opal tinsel wrapped around the hook with 2 twists of red tinsel behind the eye. It has awesome action in the sink...lol Nice flow! The only problem might be rock snot (algae) discoloring it.


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## KWB (Mar 1, 2009)

On my local waters a pink & white Crappie tube was at least for me the most productive bait I could find. So one day my buddy and I were getting ready to hit a local favorite lake in search of some slabs to put in the freezer, he brought along his fly rod and some wooly buggers. He had a white tail on them, pink chenille for the body, and I believe white hackle palmered up the fly. He also had bead heads on them, I think he had black ones, nickel ones, and brass or gold. It's been since last Spring so my memory isn't really clear. Anyway he basically tied them to look like the tubes we had been doing so well with all these years...

What happened? He caught more fish than I did! Basically we always swim these tubes along drop offs and over deeper weed flats, you can catch a 100 keepers doing this on a good day. They don't want the tube jigged, they want you to swim it and of course 99% of the takes are on the very slow glide or drop. Well his flies could do this more effectively than we could with the tubes. This year I will be using a fly rod and some of these flies...

Nice looking fish Shoe, I love Crappies...


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Thanks KWB

I'll try some


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## DuckDog (Feb 10, 2004)

> They don't want the tube jigged, they want you to swim it and of course 99% of the takes are on the very slow glide or drop. Well his flies could do this more effectively than we could with the tubes. This year I will be using a fly rod and some of these flies...


 Shhh! you are telling everyone my secret Crappie technique! :lol: It does work better than the jig and bobber.


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## KWB (Mar 1, 2009)

Yeah I never used bobbers, just a UL rod, 2-4 pound test and very light jig heads. There isn't much weight to it so casting it any real distance is difficult. The fly rod enables you to cast a light offering a longer distance and since the offering is lighter, you get a slower glide or drop, which is the key to getting strikes...


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## DuckDog (Feb 10, 2004)

The bobber allows you to make a slower presentation than a jig only. You use the tapered one with the latex tube in it. You cast it out, and make short pulls of 2"-6". This moves your jig, then lets it fall to rest. This gives you a slow horizontal jigging presentation. Using a fly gives you more of a susending horizontal presentation, which is deadly on less active early season crappies.


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## KWB (Mar 1, 2009)

The bobber adds too much vertical movement into the presentation and doesn't allow the jig to be swam as well as you can without it. Therefore it isn't a very natural presentation. It's much more effective without them in my experience. The fly rod and fly allows you to fish it fast or slow, either way it's still more natural...


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