Catch More Crappie with Smaller Baits

Bobby Garland Itty Bit baits catch crappie. Lots of them, including fish of all sizes. That has been exceptionally well documented over the past several years. These little bundles of dynamite produce well in a huge range of situations – including times when the fish reject traditional-sized crappie lures.

Because of the extreme productivity and popularity of Itty Bits, Bobby Garland continues to expand the series’ scope, in terms of shapes, colors available and terminal tackle options for fishing these tiny baits effectively in a range of depths and conditions.

With the newest additions having been launched just last week, it seemed like a fine time to break down the Itty Bit Series, looking at how each bait differs from the others and comparing jighead and rigging options for all the baits.

The Itty Bit Series includes four different baits, each unique in profile and how it moves in the water. All are 1.25 inches long and are miniature versions of popular Bobby Garland Crappie Baits with all the same features as the originals. The best Itty Bit bait for any given day depends on the forage, the fish’s mood and the way you intend to fish.

• Itty Bit Swim’R – The Itty Bit Swim’R is the OG of the Itty Bit lineup, introduced a decade ago and originally created based on requests from ice-fishermen. It has a slender profile and subtle action. A narrow tail wavers with slight movements or even when the bait is stationary, but the Itty Bit Swim’R also has a nice kick when the bait is moving because of a swim foot at the tip of the tail and an articulation. Consequently, the Swim’R is arguably the most versatile of the Itty Bit Baits and provides a great fit for everything from dipping to casting and reeling.
• Itty Bit Slab Slay’R – Like the 2- and 3-inch versions, the Itty Bit Slab Slay’R has a compact, ribbed body and a cupped spear tail that causes it to dart and glide when lifted and dropped and to undulate subtly when suspended. Rigging it with the cup on the top or the bottom alters the action. Subtlety is the name of the game with the Itty Bit Slab Slay’R, and it is extra well suited for pitching, various vertical approaches, and slow presentations beneath a float. Notably, Bobby Garland just released 10 new Itty Bit Slab Slay’R colors, more than doubling the number of available colors.
• Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R – As a tiny minnow imitator, the Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R is like candy to a crappie, and its unique double-lobed tail creates a quick natural swimming motion that even the slightest bait movement triggers. Although well suited for virtually any crappie strategy, the Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R absolutely excels with horizontal swimming strategies like casting and reeling and long-line trolling and for swinging over brush piles and other crappie-holding cover. It has a ribbed body for extra vibration and to hold scent and for a natural feel that makes crappie hold on longer. Bobby Garland recently added seven colors to the Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R color selection.
• Itty Bit Mayfly – The newest member of the Itty Bit family, the Itty Bit Mayfly, looks exactly as the name suggests. It is a highly natural Mayfly imitation with characteristics of nymph and adult stages and is consequently an excellent choice anytime crappie are feeding on Mayfly nymphs or other aquatic insects. Beyond “match the hatch” qualities, the Itty Bit Mayfly has a sleek profile and a tight, subtle action whether twitched or moved slowly through the water. It’s outstanding for swinging, dipping and vertical jigging and for fishing beneath a float. Bobby Garland recently added four colors to the Itty Bit Mayfly lineup.

Itty Bits Jigheads – Designed specifically to match Itty Bit Baits, Itty Bits Jigheads are built on small-wire No. 8 or No. 6 hooks and feature a round unpainted head and 90-degree eye. The original smaller sizes (1/48- and 1/60-ounce) have a small down-turned keeper on the hook. Garland just expanded the Itty Bits Jighead lineup with 1/16-, 1/8- and 1/4-ounce sizes for those times when you still need to match a tiny bait but need to manage current or wind, get the bait deeper, or work the bait faster but keep it down in the water column.

Overbite Sickle Jigheads – The sickle style hook on these Bobby Garland jigheads has an extra bend that allows you to have a slightly large hook but still properly fit with a tiny bait, with 1/16- and 1/32-ounce sizes having a No. 6 hook. They also have a molded keeper and Mo’ Glo painted head, and they are balanced and hang horizontally, even with loop knot.

Brushoff Jigheads – It’s well documented that crappie like brush and other cover, and Brushoff Jigheads are made with two flexible weed guards to allow you to fish baits in the cover. The smaller Brushoff Jigheads, which weigh 1/50 and 1/30 ounce, have a No. 4 hook and can work with Itty Bit Baits.

Head Turn’R Jigheads – Bobby Garland Head Turn’Rs have twin willow blades on both side of the head to add a unique splash of flash. The original sizes were a bit big for Itty Bit baits, but new 1/32-ounce Head Turn’Rs, built with a No. 6 hook, provide another option with a totally different look for presenting Itty Bit Series crappie baits.

Itty Bit baits lend themselves to fishing most of the same ways you fish traditional crappie jigs. However, the smaller sizes of the most common jigheads do create challenges for casting, for getting baits down to the fish, controlling them in key depths, and keeping baits deep enough for trolling and some cast-and-reel presentations.

The new larger head sizes on the Itty Bits help mitigate these issues. When you want added weight without the larger head or when you don’t want the bait to move quite as quickly but still need extra weight for casting or to get down to fish, a simple solution is to add a split shot or two to your line.

Alternatively, you can fish a tandem rig, either with two Itty Bits to double the weight or an Itty Bit behind a traditional crappie bait rigged on, say, a 1/16-ounce jighead. For the latter, a great strategy is to fish an Itty Bit bait as a trailer to a matching bait in the original size.

For fish that are relating to the bottom, a dropshot rig provides an excellent option. Still use an Itty Bits or small Overbite Sickle Jighead, but tie it on with a Palomar knot, leave 12 to 18 inches of tag end on the line and tie a 1/8-ounce or so bell weight to the terminal end. This allows you to keep the weight at the bottom with a tight line and maintain good control of the rig. This presents that bait a foot or so off the bottom, which is the prime zone for bottom-oriented fish to see the bait and feed.

For shallow fishing, adding a small float to the line provides just enough weight for reasonable casting, suspends the bait in key zones, and allows you to dramatically slow your delivery for subtle presentations of tiny offerings.

It’s in the name – Bobby Garland Crappie Baits – and every bait or piece of terminal tackle that Bobby Garland offers is designed primarily to help anglers catch more crappie. That said, Bobby Garland baits naturally have applications for other species, and that definitely applies to the Itty Bit Series. In many situations, mixed catches of crappie and other species are common.

Considering the small size, it’s unsurprising that the Itty Bit Series is extremely effective for bluegill, shellcracker, redbreast and other closely related sunfish species that eat small forage, in addition to yellow perch and rock bass.

Itty Bits baits are also extremely well suited for targeting trout, whether cast and swam on a tandem or split shot rig or drifted beneath a small float, like nymph fishing with a strike indicator, using a fly rod.