When you throw a jig down there and it goes through water column and you don’t see anything, you’re frustrated by that lack of fish activity. Often crappie is suspending in open water or around what we think is structure but we can’t see it from surface. That nice looking jig blends right into background if it doesn’t move a little more.
How to Add Spinners to Crappie Jigs
Why Add Spinner Blades to Jigs
When you add a spinner blade on your jig, you’re now getting some bubble, flash and vibration which imitatea distressed baitfish or wounded prey. It takes it from being just another piece of junk to being an active trigger. Adding a blade change things.
It changes presentation and changes sink rate. Now you’re fishing a combination lure that is weedless and searching. It is a hybrid that fills gap between an active trigger and a passive presentation.
It make fish feel something they may not have felt before. Blade selection should of being strategic. Select a blade based off fish activity and water color.
Choosing Blade Shape and Size
Round, full-bodied Colorado blades produces a lot of flash and a slow throbbing vibration. They are perfect for sluggish fish or in stained water. It mimic a struggling baitfish or dying insect.
But too much flash can spook skittish fish in clear water. When the water is clear, you want something subtlely. The second profile are the Willow Leaf blade.
It’s narrower with more rapid vibration on a higher frequency but less flash. When you want to go fast or in clearer water this is your choice. Aggressive fish is triggered by the fast wobble.
Since it’s not as wide as a round blade, the jig will sink quicker without as much drag. So when fishing on a steady retrieve, you have more control over depth. The tradeoff are you lose some of that broad flash and its subtle pull.
Proper Installation Techniques
A little known secret about this rig is that installation method matter. Simply threading a split ring onto the jig eyelet are the easiest method, but that doesn’t mean it’s working right. You want the blade to spin freely on the hook.
It should not bind with your hook or hang in your skirt. When the blade binds, it cease to vibrate. To avoid this, many guys uses an adapter or even a small swivel to create some space between their blade and their jig.
This allow for a smooth spin of the blade and helps prevent tangling. The blade increases drag and slows down your fall. In heavy current or deep water, the base of the jig must have enough weight to get it there.
If it doesn’t sink fast enough to get into strike zone, then what’s the point? Match the blade size to weight of the jig. The bigger the blade, the more weight you want in the jig to control it.
Matching Weight and Color
Smaller blades makes the presentation lighter. Last, think about the jig body and blade color combo. You want your skirt and blade to complement each other…not fight each other.
Naturaly colors such as pink or white do best with gold blades. This matches the scale flash on baitfish. Darker skirts matches silver blades for stark contrast.
The skirt is what it looks like. The movement of the blade act as the trigger. If you have the right ratio, it’s a strike.
It is not a follow. That spinner on your crappie jig make it a great tool for vertical presentations. It also give it a lot more versatility as a search tool.
Adding something with some spin and movement to your jig game add dimension. It will draw a bite when a plain jig don’t. A good wobble and vibration can speaks the same language that crappie hear.
And make your slow drop into an invite. So add that little something to give your bait some life when the fish won’t quite do much else.
