Crappie Rigs: Best Rigs For Crappie Fishing

You can call them papermouths or sac-a-lait slabs, crappie, or whatever you prefer. They’re great fun to catch!

Crappie enthusiasts can confirm that a good crappie rod is essential, regardless of whether you’re fishing deep in the water or casting close to the vertical cover they love.

We have everything you need to get started with crappie fishing, or if you want to upgrade your skills.

Keep reading!

How to predict where monster slabs will be found every season, even summer. Never leave home empty-handed again.
How to select the best lure and technique for each situation
Secrets from crappie legends that will. Change the way that you fish slabs.
Live bait: How to get the best out of it, rig it as a skimmer Champion of the tournament And Turn the odds in your favor.
How to improve your spider-rigging setup.
Here are some tips for master night fishing when the heat really is on.
Tips and techniques that work All the time, all the time.
and there’s more!

Get ready for Crappie Rigs

You will need to have a few things on hand to build your rigs, in addition to the high-quality monofilament line weighing between 4- and 6-pounds. With this list, you are covered for any of them. Find the best crappie fishing line!

Eagle Claw Light Wire Aberdeen Hooks

Crappie hooks have been discussed before. Slab hunters who are familiar with the subject will be familiar with our recommendation for light wire Aberdeen hooks. If you are new to the sport, however, you might not be aware that crappie has delicate mouths. This is why they are called “papermouths”.

You should therefore have a bigger hook than you think.

Make sure to stock up on #4 and #1 hooks.

Thill Crappie Corn

Our favorite slip float is the Thill Crappie Cork. You can match your jigs or split shots to these buoyancies and the float will fit perfectly in the water.

Slip floats are high-visibility, reliable, and bomb-proof.

Mimilure Soft Silicone Silicone Float Stops

The float stop on Thill Crappie Corks is knot-style and works great. It won’t last forever and you will need to replace it.

Soft silicone float stops such as these Mimilure are my favorite. These float stops are easy to use and last a long time.

Shaddock Three Way T Swivels

Some crappie rigs require a three-way swivel. The best design, however, is the T-style. It cuts down on tangles with live minnows.

You can allow minnows to swim 360 degrees around your mainline.

Reaction Tackle Pencil Sinkers

Although traditional sinkers are good, pencil-style sinkers are my favorite. They don’t catch on debris as easily and they can be used for many other purposes. This is a great option, especially if you love cover crappie.

Five Sure-Fire Designs for Catching Crappie Fishing

Slip-Float Rig

The Slip-Float Rig, which is often the simplest and most effective crappie rig, is deadly, regardless of whether you are using live bait or jigs.

Slip floats have been discussed before. We extolled their virtues over conventional bobbers. If you aren’t sure why slip floats are the best, check out this article: Slip floats to crappie fishing

The Thill is a great choice.

A slip float allows for precise castings and still controls the depth of the angler’s tackle. The float glides along the line and comes to rest on a float stop which can be easily adjusted.

Slip floats can be rigged in a matter of minutes.

These are the steps to assemble your rig.

A silicon float stop can be attached to your line.
Your slip float can be clipped onto your line.
Attach a bare hook to a jig.
Slide the float stop to adjust the depth of the terminal tackle.
If necessary, you can increase the terminal tackle’s weight by adding a split shot.

You may need to add a little split shot to your minnow and hook if you plan to use a bare hook.

The Three-Way Swivel Rig

The Three-Way Swivel Rig, which is great for trolling but can be a pain in your neck casting, is an excellent option to run multiple options at once. This rig is perfect for finding crappie, as they can be finicky, especially in summer when the water temperatures soar.

This is my favorite option for spider-rigging. It’s easy to tie properly.

Although standard three-way swivels are used by some slab hunters, they can create angles that are not optimal for main lines. Three-way T-swivels are better. You’ll also experience fewer snags if you swap out the standard sinker for the pencil style.

These are the steps to assemble your rig.

Attach your main line to a 3-way swivel. The Uni Knot is my favorite.
Take approximately 18 inches of length and tie it to the bottom ring on the swivel.
This length should be tied to a third three-way swivel.
A second length, approximately 18 inches in length, should be cut and tied to the bottom eye on the second swivel.
Attach a pencil sinker at the end of your line.
Divide the line into two pieces, each measuring 6-12 inches.
Attach one length of string to each swivel in the rearward-facing corner.
Two bare hooks or two jigs are sufficient to attach to the trailing leaders.

The Double-Jig Bait Rig

Double-hook and double-jig crappie-rigs can be a pain to cast. They are invariably difficult to tangle in mid-air, catching nothing but headaches.

You can easily cast a double-rig by simply changing the weights and shortening one of the lines.

This is the rig that I use when casting with two different jigs.

These are the steps to assemble your rig.

Take approximately 3 feet of the line.
Attach a jig to each end. selecting different weights for each jig.
Take the line roughly one foot below the lighter Jig
Make a simple loop with your overhand, but keep the loop short.
Make sure to wet the line before you tie it.
Attach a barrel swivel to your main line by attaching a snap.
Attach the loop to your swivel.

The Bottom-Bouncer Rig

You want to be able to cast a minnow or jig about a foot above the bottom when the crappie is deep-water holding.

This is exactly what the Bottom-Bouncer Rig does.

The pencil sinker’s long tail has a wire tail running across its bottom. This keeps your minnow or jig at the perfect height for strikes and dodges any snags.

This rig can be made from individual parts. 4 times as expensiveEagle Claw can also put them together.

The Drop-Shot Rig

Drop-Shot Rigs are not just for largemouth bass. They can also be used to bring live minnows or finesse baits near the bottom while keeping you in complete control of the depth.

While many anglers will use a slip shot or standard sinker to rig this rig, I have had better luck using a pencil-style sinker because they don’t get as hung up. If you do have some split shot, it’s fine.

These are the steps to assemble your rig.

To connect your mainline to the Aberdeen hook’s long-shanked end, tie a Palomar Knot. As shown in the image above, the hook should be facing up.
The tag should not be less than 12 inches long and no longer than 3 feet.
Pass the tag end through the eye of your hook and pass it down.
To reduce snags, attach a pencil sinker to the bottom.

Last Thoughts

Crappie fishing can be a fun way to spend the weekend. You need to have good rigs whether you’re looking for slabs of meat in the sunken brush piles, throwing slip floats among the stumps, or just troll the depths at night.

We hope you found this article helpful. If not, we would love to hear about it.