Various jig heads and plastics have different fall rates and actions. Live sonar can reveal what the fish prefer. (Photo courtesy of Z-Man Fishing)
January 30, 2025
By Mike Pehanich
The advent of live sonar has brought about major changes when it comes to crappie fishing tackle. Among the most prominent is the need for a jig-and-plastic combo that shows up well on forward-facing sonar. The following jigs and baits are all designed to do just that—while still remaining attractive to hungry crappies.
JIGS Z-Man Micro Shad HeadZ (top left); Leland’s Lures Eye Hole Hammer Head (top right); Berkley PowerBait Power Switch (bottom left); Bobby Garland Head Turn’R Jighead (bottom right). Available in four sizes (1/32-, 1/16-, 1/8- and 3/16-ounce), this minnow-shaped jig head with 3D eyes ($4.99/4-pack; zmanfishing.com ) distributes more of its weight laterally. The jig head pairs well with buoyant crappie plastics like the Z-Man Baby BallerZ, StingerZ and more.
Brandon Smith’s open-eye jig ($3.99/5-pack; troutmagnet.com ) presents an FFS screen-friendly image that’s easy to track on live sonar. The jig also includes a space to add a scent pack for even more attraction, and it features double side-barbs to keep plastics in place.
This new-to-the-world jig design ($6.99/2-pack; lurenet.com ) features twin willow blades suspended at eye level to create a great soft-plastic delivery system. It’s available in 1/16- and 1/8-ounce sizes and ghost, pink and chartreuse colors.
Advertisement
This new PowerBait jig ($7.99/3-pack; berkley-fishing.com ) comes in a weight-forward design made specifically with FFS in mind. The integrated design features a plastic body molded over a long-shank Fusion 19 hook. It comes in six sizes, but crappie anglers will prefer the 2 1/2-inch, 1/4-ounce and 3-inch, 3/8-ounce sizes.
BAITS Z-Man StingerZ (top left); Bobby Garland Live Roam’R (top right); Z-Man Shad FryZ (bottom left); Leland’s Lures Crappie Magnet Hammer (bottom right). A tapered stinger tail puts a little swing into the subtle action of this buoyant 1 3/4-inch shad-style bait ($4.99/8-pack). The full ElaZtech body makes it an ideal match with FFS and vertical presentations.
Designed to lure roaming crappies via the use of FFS, this streamlined bait ($3.99/15-pack) has a tight swimming action. Available in 14 colors, the 1 3/4-inch bait can be rigged and fished in multiple fashions.
Advertisement
Tiny shad and other fry comprise a significant portion of the crappie’s diet, and this tiny (1 3/4-inch) swimbait ($4.99/8-pack) mimics them well. It’s available in 10 crappie-licious colors.
Paired with the Eye Hole Hammer Head Jig, this large twin-tailed plastic body ($2.99/8-pack) presents a bait said to show up “30 percent better on forward-facing sonar.”
This article was featured in the February issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
