Fishing for crappie is a matter of battling unseen factors much of the time. You look down at a depth finder wondering if they’re there, then cast again and again. That’s frustrating, and most times it all comes down to how you present bait.
What jig do you choose? How does it work? Strike King has long been known as a company that makes crappie specific tackle that walks fine line between aggression and stealthy finesse.
These lures is not just about hooking a fish; they’re about triggering the strike in both stained and clear water. But they make ’em strike in both stained and clear water. A good morning turns into a limit bucket with proper jig.
Guess what? It doesn’t if it’s not. If you know which Strike King crappie jigs to throw, then you’ll spend less time at it and more time keeping your boat full.
Top Strike King Crappie Jigs Worth Using
The Strike King Crappie Maxx Jig
These are Strike King Crappie Maxx jigs. This workhorse jig have a skinny profile that looks like big insect larva or a small bait fish rigged either way. It has a sharp hook that rarely allow for missed strikes.
It also casts well when rigged with a skirt, tube, or even a hair rig. That versatility makes it the go to for many angler. Crappie is opportunists.
They feed different depending upon how clear or how warm water is. Coldwater requires a slow approach. The Maxx offers it without adding unnecessary bulk.
It has a good drop rate for crappie to track down. But that slow descent seem to trigger those reaction bites as well. When the water warms, you may need something with more shine to get noticed.
The Strike King Pro Model Jig
Enter the Strike King Pro Model Jig. With a slightly heavier head than the Maxx it will reach deep structures and hold bottom quicker in current. Adding a soft plastic trailer and using its eyelet design create a naturaly action.
This is your deeper lake, vertically jigged, jig. Heavier heads can sometimes be too aggressive for shallow, wary fish. And some fish is very wary and shallow.
But as we all know, deep cover holds crappie in the heat of the summer. You shouldn’t of break your wrist getting there. The Pro Model dives down fast while still keeping control.
When time isn’t on your side it’s what you reach for. For anglers who is naturalists at heart, the Strike King Flapper Craw provide an alternative. Instead of relying off the skirt flash, this swimbait jig is all about its tail movement.
The Strike King Flapper Craw Swimbait
As the bait falls through water, the plastic body flutters and rocks in a natural way. This triggers curious but wary crappie, especially big ones. They know it’s not tackle (they know it’s food).
With swimbait jigs, however, it’s not a drop and lift retrieve. The idea is to make the bait swim continuously which engages the tail. So you’re adding another skill set to your fishing.
But the reward can be more selective, bigger fish then with other flashier baits. It is a tradeoff from simple to more selective. Then there’s color.
Choosing the Right Color and Strategy
In clear water, use natural colors like pink, white, or chartreuse to match the hatch. With stained water go bold. Black and chartreuse combos is good on dark water.
You have plenty of choices with your colors because Strike King makes many different shades. Just pay attention to the light and the water. Switching up to correct jig does that.
It turns a guess into a target. And when you’re deciding between action of the Flapper Craw, the weight of the Pro Model or the subtleness of the Maxx, you want the lure to seem inevitible to the crappie. That sense of certainty is what brings them to the hook.
