When I was a youngster learning to fish for crappie, my uncles taught me versatility was the key to success. If jigs enticed crappie, all was fine and dandy; jigs it was. But if jigs didn’t produce, it was time to root through the tackle box for a different come-on.

Thus I was corrupted into crappie fishing with all sorts of lures. And thus did I learn spoons catch crappie almost as often as jigs and minnows.

Spoons are among the best lures for catching crappie on deeper structure and cover after the spring spawn. When properly pumped, cast, trolled or fluttered, these flashy metal lures wiggle like baitfish with the bends. Crappie are attracted by this action, and big catches of big panfish result.

Cotton Cordell’s CC Spoon has the typical flattened style of most jigging spoons.

You’ll catch more crappie if you stick to smaller spoons, which are easier for small-mouthed crappie to inhale. But the weight of the spoon that is best for any given situation depends on various factors.

For example, when crappie in clear water are holding really deep – say 25 feet – I opt for a heavier spoon such as the three-eighths-ounce Cotton Cordell C.C. Spoon. This lure’s weight gets it into the strike zone quicker, a big plus. For crappie on shallower features, I prefer a smaller spoon like the one-twelfth-ounce Acme Kastmaster. Crappie find it irresistible, and they’re easier to hook on the smaller lure.

Choose the spoon that seems best for conditions you encounter.

Line Ties

Most spoons come pre-rigged with a split ring or snap-swivel line tie. Use it. Tying directly to the spoon inhibits the lure’s action.

For more variable action, replace the line-tie with an XCalibur Tear Drop Split Ring. Tying to the ring’s narrow end keeps the spoon wiggling tightly. The wide end allows a broader wobbling action. These subtle variations can make the difference between catching lots of crappie or none.

Line and Rod Selection

Most spoon-fishing strikes come as the lure falls and feel like faint taps or “heaviness” on the line. Using braided line allows easier detection of these subtle hits. Also, a fast-action rod may work better than medium- or slow-action rods typically used for crappie fishing because a too-limber rod decreases sensitivity and makes strike detection and hook-setting more difficult.

Colors

Today’s spoons are available in many hues. Which color is best? Most anglers prefer silver, white and other light colors in clear water, and go with gold, red, chartreuse or brighter colors in stained/muddy water.

Weedless spoons such as the Johnson Silver Minnow work great when fishing deep weed beds and similar cover.

Use the Right Spoon

To locate post-spawn crappie schools, cruise over underwater creek/river channels, humps and other favored structure while pulling a trolling spoon or weedless casting spoon behind the boat.

Jigging spoons do not work well as search lures. Instead, an angler should pinpoint fish first using electronics, then position the boat directly over them before using these lures.

Conventional Jigging

Work jigging spoons with a vertical presentation. Position your boat beside target structure, then lower the lure to the bottom. Take up slack, sweep your rod tip upward 1 to 3 feet, then slowly drop the rod tip, letting the spoon free-fall but keeping “in touch” with it at all times. Repeat, and be attentive for bites as the lure falls.

Casting Spoons

Casting spoons will nab crappie when cast and retrieved across horizontal structures such as submerged points or road beds. Let the lure sink, then reel up slack. Now rip the spoon off bottom by snapping the rod from a 10 o’clock position to 12 o’clock, then allow the spoon to flutter back down. Repeat this process until the lure is beside the boat. Set the hook at any unnatural bump or weightless feeling.

Alterations

When action is slow, altering a spoon may bring success. For example, using pliers, you can bend some spoons to make them flutter more erratically as they sink, producing more strikes. In muddy water, glue a small rattle (typically used in soft-plastic worms and tubes and in fly-fishing patterns) to the spoon; the added sound helps crappie find your lure. Replace a plain treble hook with a feather-dressed treble, or add a plastic tube body, minnow or scent bait to the hook to coax more hits.

Spoon and Jig

If you feel hits but can’t hook fish, fix the problem by tying a 6-inch leader of light mono to the spoon hook and adding a crappie jig to the tag end. The smaller offering darting behind the larger spoon can induce more aggressive bites from short strikers.

Crankbait-Spoon Combo

Spoons come in many shapes, sizes and colors. The best for crappie fishing tend to be smaller models in baitfish-like colors.

Try working a small shad-imitation crankbait in combination with a spoon to catch inactive, suspended crappie. Tie on a three-way swivel, then add a 2-inch Cabela’s Suspending Rad Shad or similar crankbait on a 12-inch leader to one eye of the swivel, and a small casting spoon on an 18-inch leader to the other eye. When the crankbait dives, the spoon follows, a pairing even finicky crappie find hard to resist.

Long Poling

Many spoon fishermen use a fast-action spinning or spincasting rod, but a long jigging pole or fly rod works great around shallower cover. Lower the spoon and use flicks of the wrist to load the long pole, making the lure hop erratically.

Weed-Bed Action

Post-spawn crappie often lurk near deep weed beds, ambushing passing baitfish. A weedless spoon such as a one-quarter- or one-half-ounce Johnson Silver Minnow or Cabela’s Weedless Lunker Spoon is a great enticement in this situation. Position your boat beside the weed edge, then cast and retrieve along the outside border. Retrieve the lure just fast enough to maintain proper depth and a constant side-to-side rocking action.

Seeing is Believing

Savvy spoon fishermen use sensitive fish-finders that allow seeing a spoon as it is fished around crappie beneath the boat. With good sonar, you can place the lure right on a crappie’s nose and work it with various actions. Knowing you’re in the strike zone reduces frustration, encouraging you to try various tricks until one produces the desired result – a crappie in the boat.