Slab crappies are meat eaters—sure enough minnow munchers. They take artificials well at times, especially jigs—but big crappie will turn their noses at even the best of the best crappie lures.

When you absolutely, positively have to catch a fish, live bait is the only way to go, period. While artificial lures are variously new, improved, or otherwise hyped worldwide, the lowly worm and its ...

Lures and dead bait will fool game fish on a regular basis, but there’s no substitute for the real thing. Few species will pass up a frisky live bait: It’s an incredibly effective technique for ...