Does anyone know of some hot crappie tactics that don't involve useing live minnows(banned in Washington)?

Thanks!!!!!!!

how about a little jig under a bobber? I used this method back in Maryland. Used to catch lots of them this way... or adding a crappie throat to the hook...

I haven't seen any crappie since I came here from Missouri. Back home, Beetle Spins are pretty effective. Also, fishing at night with a light attractor is very popular. Better check the regs on this one.

A small hair jig under a float works great for me. I caught quite a few crappie this way all last summer - some even up to 13 inches. Don't be surprised to catch other species with this tactic as well: largemouth, smallmouth, perch . . . It's a fun way to catch fish because you get the thrill of seeing your float go under (reminiscent of my younger days as a fisherman)with the satisfaction of catching fish with a lure!

Where's a good crappie hole on the west side? I've fished Brownlee in Oregon many times but haven't found a good hole near here yet.

Hard to beat a crappie jig, with or without bait. I like to use the color white in particular, in 1/16 oz size.

Rabbit fur white streamers are also good if you are a fly fisherman.

In the spring I'll find crappie around structure (submerged brush) and in the summer they are often in deep holes or under docks.

Good luck.......Crappie fishing is fun!

Bass lake near Black Diamond has been good for me.

Crappie are my favorite fish, and I really enjoy catching them. Here are a few tricks that have worked for me:

I like to use really small jigs. 1/32nd of an ounce, or 1/16th of an ounce when I want to get down fast. Tie it on a loop knot, so the jig wiggles more. I like tube jigs the best, though curlytails are good when the fish are more active. My favorite color is smoke with black and gold flakes. Uncle Josh makes this color, and you can pick it up at Sportco and other places where they carry that line. Not GI Joe's, though. My other favorite jig you CAN find there, though. It's the Northlander Gypsi-Jig, black head with silver tail in the 1/32nd of an ounce size. It's a painted leadhead with a flashy mylar marabou type tail. Really knocks them dead. Of course, color depends on the situation, but I've found these to be my old reliables. Both are really effective when tipped with...

Berkley Power Bait Crappie Nibbles. I like the white and green color, but I hear silver flake is good too. Haven't tried that yet. Great for tipping jigs, gives it that extra flavor. Tough to find except in stores that specialize in fishing, though. You won't be picking these up at Wal-Mart, though you can order them from Cabela's. They're generally more expensive than trout Power Bait, too. They run about $4 a bottle. But since we can't use minnows, these are the best.

You can fish vertically, but fishing with a bobber is also really effective when you want to keep at one depth. It's really hard to find bobbers that are small enough, so here's what you do: go and buy some egg shaped corkies, the kind for drift fishing for salmon. You don't need a very big one, just enough so that the small end points down like a bobber. They don't have a high profile, so get some colors that can easily be seen from a distance. I like neon orange. Run the corky up the line, with the small end pointed towards the end of the line. I like to use a bobber stop, but you can also plug the top hole in the corky with a toothpick, and break it off. Instant, very sensative bobber of the right size that won't put you out a buck if you should happen to snag something.

Hope these were useful. There's a very good crappie forum here:

crappie.com