In the world of crappie fishing, perhaps no other lure category offers the versatility of a crappie jig paired with plastic or live bait. Professional crappie angler Kevin Rogers discusses why he prefers using bigger crappie jigs over smaller finesse varieties throughout the season, especially during the cold-water months when fish tend to be deeper.
TACKLE USED (retail links)
- JIG HEAD – Jenko Kevin Rogers Warhead
- PLASTIC – Jenko Kevin Rogers Afterburner Jig Body
- HAIR JIG – Jenko Warbird Hand Tied Jigs
- ROD – Jenko Kevin Rogers Jigging Rod
While downsized crappie jigs and smaller lures generally can excel for cold water crappies, Rogers still favors crappie fishing with bigger baits. He shares 4 distinct benefits to fishing big baits when the weather turns cold, and water temperatures dip in the late fall and winter months.
- Improved color performance. While some think color is overrated in crappie fishing, Rogers feels it can be a do-or-die factor in cold water, and finding the right color is easier with a larger surface area jig to display colors.
- Efficiency at depth. Cold water crappies typically shift into deeper water and cover. Larger, heavier crappie jigs help get the presentation down the fish quicker and keep the bait in their face longer.
- Enhanced feel. A larger jig head is much easier to feel, making detecting subtle cold water bites easier — this is especially the case when using heavier equipment around brush and timber.
- Catch bigger crappies. As the adage states, bigger lures and bigger fish hold here. Rogers uses larger jigs to attract and trigger bigger crappies while detouring smaller ones.
