Jig size may matter more than color to crappie, veteran angler says.

Selecting the correct jig size depends on the conditions, with wind and water depth major players.

Veteran crappie fisherman Tommy Short of Rocky Mount may use a ¼-ounce jig if he is trolling or if the wind or current dictate using a heavy jig to get it down to crappie suspending along a deep channel. If the wind is not blowing and the boat is not moving, he may use a 1/100-ounce jig.

Jig size is also dictated by the crappie, which are more selective about the size of the baitfish they are eating than color. Even a disinterested crappie seldom turns down a 1/100-ounce jig with its skirt flaring in front of its nose.

“A jig’s color is only important for you and me,” Short said. “Crappie will hit a jig the color of lead leaving the mold. I use white fur about 1 ¼-inches long, no matter the jig size. Sometimes, I tie a black strip along the top of the fur dressing, to make it look more like a minnow.”