Crappies can be caught throughout the summer months on a number of different presentations. One of the best presentations for catching numbers of big slabs is swim jigging. Al Lindner and Jeremy Smith offer up a few tips on how to swim jig for summer crappies.
Swim Jigging Summer Crappies
On our lakes up here in Northern Minnesota the summer time crappie bite revolves around the first weed line drop off. Depending on the lake that could be anywhere from around six to fifteen or sixteen feet of water.
A jig and plastic is one of the better presentations for swim jigging crappies, because you are able to change the depth and speed your presentation quickly. You can also fish fast and cover water, which can be very beneficial if the crappies are on the move, cruising the weed line.
One of our go-to combos is a 1/16 oz VMC Mooneye jig paired with a Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swimon. The one 1/16oz jig gets down to the right depth and the Kamikaze Swimon gives off a ton of action and is a good size for crappies.
One big key when swim jigging is to follow the drop off.
What I mean by that is that you want to cast your bait right to the edge of the weed line and let it sink until it is a foot or two off the bottom. Then when you bring your jig back in you’ll want to make subtle pops, causing your bait to jump along right above the weeds.
In most situations you’ll want to keep your bait about a foot or two above the weeds, because these summer crappies tend to sit in or right next to the weeds.
Post spawn until the fall, these crappies send almost all of their time in and around the weeds and swim jigging for these summer crappies can produce numbers of big fish.