- Jan 13, 2025
Big Baits for Big Winter Crappie
The winter months bring improved chances of landing slab crappie on large-profile baits. We’ll explore why this occurs and how to use big crappie baits effectively.


When it comes to winter crappie fishing, one thing comes to mind – big baits. Big is a relative term in crappie fishing, but for the sake of this article, let’s call big anything more than 2 inches in length.
Two inches has long been the standard for best all-around crappie bait size. The popularity of new-age electronics these days has driven that standard even smaller. Itty Bit, in fact. But when the cold weather months arrive, it’s time to break out the big jigs.
There are two primary factors driving this phenomenon, and both hold true year after year.
Forage Match


The most successful anglers constantly make adjustments to match forage. The closer an angler can get to that day’s forage size, color and presentation, the more likely that angler is to draw more bites.
Most crappie have high-tailed it out of the shallows by January and are either schooled up or roaming in deep water. In these environments, crappie are most likely to feed on shad and other open-water baitfish.
By winter, only “adult” baitfish are around. Baitfish born in the spring and summer have grown into their young adult size and crappie key in on these sizes.
Shad are not as tolerant of the cold winter water temps and annually die off, sometimes in great numbers, depending on the type of shad and body of water. Predators key in on this annual event.
When shad die, they quickly lose their skin pigment, turning them white or opaque as they flutter about in the open water.
Jighead in the 1/16-ounce to 1/4-ounce range are good options to pair with bulky jigs like the 2.25” Slab Hunt’R and 3” Slab Slay’R.
On lakes with lots of docks, crappie can be easy targets for jigs like the 2” Slab Slay’R, 2.25” Minnow Mind’R and 2.5” Slab Dockt’R when pitched or skipped.
Bobby Garland Crappie Baits colors that really excel in the winter months are Monkey Milk, Bone White/Pearl Chartreuse, Pearl White, Bright White, Live Minnow, Threadfin Shad and Blue Ice.
Worth the Effort


Crappie, like most warm water species, can become quite inactive when water temps fall below 50 degrees. However, inactive should not be mistaken for unwilling to eat. On the contrary.
Crappie will look for meals that warrant their effort. Forward-facing sonar has made it easier for skilled anglers to catch crappie on a wide array of baits and colors, but only because they can put the bait on the fish’s nose. These anglers will tell you though that they do notice an uptick in quality bites when using a larger profile.
Crappie must expend energy to hunt, eat and digest, all while attempting to conserve energy in the cold water. This makes bigger, calorie-rich meals the preferred choice, especially when prey is steady or abundant.
Because of this, vertical and dead-stick presentations work best during the winter. Try to always keep the bait quivering without moving it too rapidly. This can be achieved with rod taps or soft rod tip shakes. Work the bait through the water column a foot at a time. Pausing at each depth for several seconds or even minutes while working the bait’s tail.
Bobby Garland Crappie Baits like the Original Baby Shad, Slab Slay’R, Swim’R, Mayfly and Slab Hunt’R were designed to provide quivering action with little to no angler effort. The density of the soft plastic was designed to keep the bait’s action even in freezing water temps. This is a huge advantage for crappie anglers.
Cold, Cold Fronts


Harsh cold fronts in the winter can disrupt an otherwise great big bait bite, despite the water temps already being cold. Crappie like to be comfortable and are constantly seeking new depths to find that comfort zone. In the winter that is typically going to be deep water.
Water near the bottom is more stable in the winter. However, artic blasts can alter that stability forcing crappie to move. Crappie get finnicky when they have to reposition themselves. The result is that crappie can become tight lipped on large, aggressive profiles.
Bobby Garland Crappie Baits developed the Itty Bit Series to combat these conditions. And this year, the leaders in crappie fishing innovation added another potent jig to the Itty Bit lineup – the ALL NEW 1.25” Itty Bit Mayfly.
The Itty Bit Mayfly has been impressing ice anglers and open-water winter crappie enthusiasts alike. Its realistic features and action are attracting a lot of attention from both fish and anglers. With a wide range of 17 colors to choose from, the Itty Bit Mayfly has a pattern for any situation. It pairs perfectly with Itty Bits Jigheads and fits well with a 1/48-ounce Overbite Sickle Jighead or 1/50-ounce BrushOff Jighead.
Other popular Itty Bit Series baits include the 1.25” Itty Bit Swim’R, 1.25” Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R and 1.25” Itty Bit Slab Slay’R. Each offers a different proven profile and action to fit the needs of any angler.
The Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R is a Southern and Midwest favorite, while the Itty Bit Swim’R has a real hold on Northen waters. Like the Itty Bit Mayfly, the Itty Bit Slab Slay’R has found a strong following across all North American latitudes.
January Top Picks


Bobby Garland fishing staff go-to choices for crappie anglers in January.
- 3” Slab Slay’R – Top colors include Bone White/Pearl White, Sour Milk, Sweet Tea with Lemon, Cajun Cricket and Junebug/Pearl Chartreuse.
- 2.25” Slab Hunt’R – Top colors include Monkey Milk, Purple Monkey, Bright White, Live Minnow and Grenada Gold.
- 2” Original Baby Shad – Top colors include Monkey Milk, Crystal, Pearl White, Live Minnow and Blue Ice.
- 1.25” Itty Bit Mayfly – Top colors include Pecan Cream, Hummingbird, Monkey Milk, Wonder Bread and MoGlo Glow Worm.