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We're back! Hope you had a blessed Christmas and great New Year. Couple things:
1. I spent 7 straight days fishing Sam Rayburn, TX, and man it was awesome! Haven't been out anywhere that long recently and caught TONS of crappie. But warmer weather had 'em acting very not-wintery!
2. Been testing out a prototype Kistler longpole, and I'm no longpole expert but man that thing is right. Still in development but look for 'em soon! Check out this IG post to see it in action!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram if you haven't already!
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If your email program cuts off the bottom of the email click "View this email in your browser" up top to see the whole thing. Sorry about that β email programs keep changing stuff!
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New π₯ Baby Shad colors!
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Bobby Garland just dropped some juicyyy Baby Shad colors, some new to BG, some they had in other baits and brought to the Baby Shad.
The new ones are (L-R): 'wonder bread' [should probably just call it Ricky Bobby then π], 'sonar beam' 'lonestar shad', 'cloudy daze', 'splatter', 'emerald fry', 'almond milk', 'slab juice', 'frosty', 'outbreak', 'moonbug', 'thump', 'wanted monkey'.
If you notice, there's a monkey milk-esque trend in most of those baits. Here's Bobby Garland's Skylar St. Yves on why, from an earlier Target Crappie:ο»Ώ
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ο»Ώ> "What weβve learned β like with 'monkey milk' β is that it's not just color, itβs how it absorbs and reflects light.
> "That pearlescent base refracts light based on conditions β blue in bright sun, pale in cloud or mud. It's a perfect match for what fish are used to seeing underwater.
> β'Lonestar shad'...got red flake and a blue back, so from underneath the fish sees that contrast. Thatβs why laminate baits are popular β 2 tones give fish something to key on.
> Purple is underrated in crappie fishing.... ['Frosty'] is another natural color that flies under the radar. It's got a silver top and glacier-style belly that gives off just a hint of pink in the right light."
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If you happened to have been at the 2025 Bassmaster Classic, Bobby Garland was giving out some free 'lonestar shad' Baby Shads before they were released, and in the time it took me to run out of those, that became my favorite color!ο»Ώ
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We wore 'em out on that color on Sam Rayburn, TX...until we ran out π.
Anyhow, check out all the new colors here on Lurenet.com!
Now for the new Itty Bit Jigheads!
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Enough with the splitshots?
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The new Bobby Garland Itty Bit Jigheads just got some new sizes in addition to 1/64 and 1/48. Now they're coming with that Itty Bit hook in 1/16, 1/8 and 1/4-oz heads.ο»Ώ
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ο»ΏHere's Skylar again on why to fish bigger heads with that small hook:ο»Ώ
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ο»Ώ> "The problem was, [Bobby Garland staff and pros] all pretty much came to the same conclusion at the same time β the splitshot is awful. There must be a better solution to that.
> "If you're casting...for black crappie, especially [with] a 1/16-oz head or a 1/8-oz...we were all using splitshot. We were getting wind knots, cut lines, all that stuff.
> "[So] a big point of emphasis with the new heads is continuing to create solutions with jigheads for the Itty Bits.
> "...very beneficial to casting, especially the 1/16-oz.
> "The 1/4-oz is great for ice fishing, great for guys who want to use the bigger head with the heavier weight. If you are fishing at deeper depths, [the new sizes] give you the option to be able to get that Itty Bit down 20,30, 40, 50' with a 1/4-oz head.
> "[With these new jigs] you don't have to worry about any of the weight systems up above, anything that could go wrong in 30 to 50' while the line is dropping down through the water."
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Hit the river ledges right now
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Whether you're on a river system or your lake has a big river running into it, those slabs are munching in the deep water right now! Check out some π§ from this Louisiana Sportsman post with LA crappie Hammer Billy Adams:
> Dec...these fish are now moving into the deeper areas of the main rivers and deep dead-end canals.
Billy targets fish on the north of Lake Pontchartrain β he stays glued to any structure related to deep water:
> "When the temperature drops, so do the fish. In Dec, they love to get in those holes on the slopes and eat. Youβll go from 9-10.5 inch fish in a [brushpile] to the occasional 13-incher or bigger."
Then in rivers:
> When fishing rivers like the Tchefuncte and the Tickfaw, [Billy] focuses on the same structure he targets in mid-summer: cypress trees and ledges.
> "My favorite spots to fish are old cypress stumps and trees. There has to be a drastic depth change β around 5-10' or more. If the back side of the tree or stump is 5', I want to see a drop to 10'.
> "This only works on the river system because other places donβt offer that."
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Slow way down after fronts:
> "I already fish them slow, but during the winter months, everything slows down. Sometimes, just the jig sitting in their face is enough to trigger a bite."
Billy likes stained water with some current, and his jig choice depends on the current's strength:
> "I usually keep all my fishing simple, and having LiveScope is key to doing that. It not only helps me find baitfish but also shows me how fish react to different lure colors.
> "If they donβt react, Iβll try something else.... Slow-falling baits are always best β theyβll hit it 80% of the time on the fall. The rest is slow-rolling or sometimes when you pick it up."
Billy's casting setup
> 1/16-oz blue or silver jig, 6-8-lb mono, size 1000 Diawa Exceler, 7' Salters Dock Stix
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Find all the giant schools under the ice π₯Ά
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Brett McComas of Target Crappie's big brother π Target Walleye was hunting slabs under the ice, and in his last YouTube video shows where to find big 'ol schools up in MN. Where Brett says to look:ο»Ώ
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ο»Ώ> "Looks like we are in a beautiful spot. Right back over here, it's about 10', dips off into 12-14.
> "It's a little depression, a little bowl surrounded with cabbage weeds. Gets like 15'-ish in the middle. Those shallow weed bowls β you can catch crappies, bluegills, bass, pike, walleye, a little bit of everything.
> "The nice thing too about the shallow weed thing β it's working-man's hours. You can get out here after dark...and catch fish after the sun goes down.
> "I like that we got some nice green standing weeds. Anytime you have weeds that are still standing, you have baitfish, you have big fish.
> "We drilled a line of holes along the weed edge, now I'm drilling some that dip off into the hole for the fish that we see that are tight to the bottom.
> "We're drilling holes, it's shallow, it's probably going to scatter them. The nice thing about fishing these little depressions and holes β they can't go too far before they have to end up coming back around you.
Those fish are around those weed edges for a reason too.
> "It's just a shallow weed bite, clear water. Everything's moving through here. If they're in here, itβs to eat. [Fish here are] chasing bugs, chasing minnows."
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Another interesting deal that can be used as a tell whether you're on ice or not, Brett used the presence of other fish to let him know that the right ones were around:
> "I know [rock bass] is not the desired species, but like smallmouth, those things are better at finding transitions on the bottom than we are.
> "If you find the ultimate sand-to-rock transition, you have to catch 3 or 4 rock bass before you catch that 5-lb smallmouth.
> "I have talked about this in the summertime β if you are catching rock bass on a spot, they only hold on good spots. A lot of bait. A reason for the fish to be there."
Brett's ice crappie setup:
> 1/16-oz VMC Tungsten BugBite Jig, 3-lb Sufix Advance Mono, Okuma Ceymar Spinning Reel, 36" Tuned Up Custom Rods Bullwhip
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Check these ultra-realistic crappie plastics
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Check these things out! The ultra-real printing has been a deal in the bass fishing and saltwater worlds for a while, but it looks like Game Changer Baits took it on for crappie.ο»Ώ
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ο»ΏThose are 3 of their 7 colors of their 2" Crappie Fry baits β they look wild! Based on the website, sounds like they are scent-injected, too.
They come in 12 packs and MSRP of $7.99.
Another company that has some ultra-real crappie baits is 6th Sense with their smaller 2.2-3.5" Panorama (top), Crappie Strobe Shaker (middle), and their Fiction Shad (bottom):
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If you're chasin' those finicky black crappie or are dropping through ice holes for uber-clearwater fish, might wanna try out some of these ultra-realistic baits man!
You ever used any baits like these? π€ If so, lmk!
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They've had all the way up to 7", and now they're adding at the other end with a new 3" size. That 3" sounds big, but it's golden for black and white crappie, especially the big ones that are munching right now!
Also, if you're unfamiliar with the Scented Jerk ShadZ, they come with scent all over 'em that stays on for quite a while, and they're indestructible and float.
Check that new 3" Scented Jerk Shad out here on Tackle Warehouse. Don't sleep on 3" crappie baits!
5. Bonehead drops new π₯ FFS-oriented tackle
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The Tangle Free Weight is built to stop line wrap on the drop. The Crappie Scope Head uses a keel-style design to keep baits level and steady for forward-facing sonar presentations.
That's just a little piece of the video from Humminbird's Instagram post. They're sitting on something special there! And that MEGA Live 2 image is looking crisp! π
6. TX: Winter crappie feed in short, predictable windows
TPWD biologists say crappie slide deeper as surface temps drop, group tightly, and relate to brush, timber, ledges, and creek channels where water temps stay stable.
Theyβre still feeding in winter, just in short bursts, often midday, keyed on small bait like shad and minnows when conditions line up.
7. TX: Best crappie fishing is going down on...
- Bob Sandlin: Crappie are excellent with jigs or minnows. Stay west of the Highway 21 Bridge and focus on timber in 30-50' of water.
- Cypress Springs: Crappie are excellent roaming midlake to the dam with jigs, but have some minnows just in case. Black crappie are in 10-50 fish schools.
- Lake Fork: You can find large schools of crappie congregating on timber along creek channels in 35-60'. These fish may only be 12-25', grouped up on treetops or limbs. They will bite anything you put in front of them.
8. FL: Top crappie hotspots are...
Lake Okeechobee, Kissimmee River, Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.
9. VT: bans the sale of crappie starting in 2026
VT will no longer allow the commercial sale of black or white crappie beginning Jan 1, while keeping personal harvest legal and setting a combined 50-fish panfish limit with a 25-crappie cap on most inland waters.
10. LA/TX: Toledo Bend crappie are set up deep for winter.
Big fish are stacked on main-lake timber and channel edges in 25-50'. When the water stays clear, the bite can be lights out.
11. NB: Spoons are putting crappie on the ice right now
Small spoons are getting crushed under hardwater β especially with light line, minimal hardware, and a little meat like a minnow head or wax worm to finish the deal.
12. OH: Early ice is setting up panfish bites
Word is maggots and small jigs are the deal.
13. Lake of the Ozarks crappie are schooling up deep
Crappie are stacking on main-lake channel banks, bluffs and deep docks.
14. ME: Ice fishing is getting into midwinter form
Biologists say the ice is thick enough to fish safely, crappie arenβt roaming randomly anymore and are grouped up!
15. AR: Tagged crappie traveled 32 miles during historic flood...
...and still spawned! AR biologists say the fishβs long trek through floodwaters shows crappies are more resilient than many anglers give them credit for.ο»Ώ
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ο»Ώ16. AR wants your Christmas trees for crappie habitat
17. An absurd amount of ice crappie on MEGA Live 2! π
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From that link:
> TX Game Wardens cited 3 anglers in Tyler County after discovering they had 118 crappie, 43 more than the legal limit [and it said a bunch were undersized], along the Neches River....
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"Wintertime is all about ledge fishing."
That's crappie pro Kent Driscoll saying in this B'n'M post that right now is the time to key in on those dropoffs:
> "No matter what lake Iβm on, Iβm going to go out into open water and find the edge of the major river channel or the dropoff of a major creek channel.
> "The top of the ledge may be anywhere from 12' to 20' deep, and drop off even deeper down into the channel.
> "Crappie will hold on some type of wood cover along these ledges, and you have to be able to see them with your sonar to know where to position your boat to fish for them."
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Be on the lookout from some crappie goods coming from Kistler soon! π
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Sign up another crappie-head!
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FRIENDS OF TARGET CRAPPIE
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