# To nibble or not to nibble?



## Sabatino925

Hey guys, wanted to keep some action going on the old panfish thread so I want to pose a question to you. 

When fishing for crappie using jig heads and tubes/curly tails/etc . . . (either sitting still jigging, cast and retrieve, or trolling) do you tip your jighead with crappie nibbles (or something similar)?

I use the pink powerbait nibbles (we call them pink stinkers) almost any time I'm jigging unless I tip with live bait.


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## polebender

We use them quite often! Use the chartreuse mostly. We also use them with live minnows at times. They can be a real difference maker when the water is stained or the bite seems tough.


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## CFIden

I use the Gulp 1" minnows on tubes, Road Runners etc. Makes a huge difference. I catch a lot of catfish that way too.


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## brandonw

I used to tip with niblets but found they were more of a hassle. Never seemed to make a big difference for me.


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## partlyable

I also have never found that tipping has made me catch more fish. But the couple lakes I fish are usually a foot or greater of visibility so I have very little experience with stained water.


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## chaunc

I'll just say, I don't leave home without them. Some guys won't use them cause they get their boat dirty. Good for them. They work so I use them.


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## Popspastime

I use the gulp maggots, they stay on better and the nibbles melt and fall off.. to eaches own


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## 9Left

yea... i think they're just more or less for catching the fisherman in the store then anything else... if you put a plastic grub in front of a crappy, or school crappies, and they are feeding ...you're pretty much going to catch them no matter what you use


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## Specgrade

Either doggy kibble or corn...I'll have to try that pink stuff!


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## chaunc

9Left said:


> yea... i think they're just more or less for catching the fisherman in the store then anything else... if you put a plastic grub in front of a crappy, or school crappies, and they are feeding ...you're pretty much going to catch them no matter what you use


I won't argue about them. I've been using them I guess since they first came on the market. I used minnows before that. Caught fish then too. Got skunked too. I never get skunked anymore. Jig and nibble works for me. I don't knock it if they don't for you tho.


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## meats52

chaunc said:


> I'll just say, I don't leave home without them. Some guys won't use them cause they get their boat dirty. Good for them. They work so I use them.


I'm with you chaunc, I don't leave home without them either.


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## Popspastime

Ok Chaunc, whats your magic on keeping them on? I must have 10 bottles of them..lol. but they keep getting soft with the water and fall off. Like said, I use the Gulp and pinch off a nibble size piece and they work great for me every where I go. The others just keep falling off..after 2 casts.. gone.


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## ldrjay

chaunc said:


> I won't argue about them. I've been using them I guess since they first came on the market. I used minnows before that. Caught fish then too. Got skunked too. I never get skunked anymore. Jig and nibble works for me. I don't knock it if they don't for you tho.


you got me hooked on them. they work wonders


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## chaunc

Popspastime said:


> Ok Chaunc, whats your magic on keeping them on? I must have 10 bottles of them..lol. but they keep getting soft with the water and fall off. Like said, I use the Gulp and pinch off a nibble size piece and they work great for me every where I go. The others just keep falling off..after 2 casts.. gone.


The secret is splitting the bottle of them in half to start with. This let's them get some air between them. I do this every time I have an empty bottle and I'm opening a new one. I let them sit a couple days. Secondly, I pour a couple dozen in the cap before I start fishing. I set them in the sun in front of me where they're easy to reach. They'll dry out more as the day goes on. Now you know you can't do this if it's raining. If they get too dry and sometimes they will, pour them in with the soft ones. They'll re-absorb some moisture. Don't tell anybody my secret. Haha.


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## Popspastime

Going to give that a shot, I need to use them. Thanks..


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## Bluegillin'

chaunc said:


> The secret is splitting the bottle of them in half to start with. This let's them get some air between them. I do this every time I have an empty bottle and I'm opening a new one. I let them sit a couple days. Secondly, I pour a couple dozen in the cap before I start fishing. I set them in the sun in front of me where they're easy to reach. They'll dry out more as the day goes on. Now you know you can't do this if it's raining. If they get too dry and sometimes they will, pour them in with the soft ones. They'll re-absorb some moisture. Don't tell anybody my secret. Haha.


Chaunc - Based on your posts, I wouldn't question anything you say that works. What color do you typically use?


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## Sabatino925

I will say I tried the ones with glitter on them. Stay away lol. The glitter comes off the second it touches the water and I get home with a very sparkly beard (and kayak, and clothes, and tackle box . . . ) by the end of the day. 

That being said they helped us make this happen at Hoover last weekend!


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## meats52

Sabatino925 said:


> I will say I tried the ones with glitter on them. Stay away lol. The glitter comes off the second it touches the water and I get home with a very sparkly beard (and kayak, and clothes, and tackle box . . . ) by the end of the day.
> 
> That being said they helped us make this happen at Hoover last weekend!
> View attachment 245401


That's a nice bunch of crappie. The glitter is supposed to come off in the water, it resembles scales falling off of baitfish. They are a little messy but they work really well.


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## crappiedude

chaunc said:


> The secret is splitting the bottle of them in half to start with. This let's them get some air between them. I do this every time I have an empty bottle and I'm opening a new one. I let them sit a couple days. Secondly, I pour a couple dozen in the cap before I start fishing. I set them in the sun in front of me where they're easy to reach. They'll dry out more as the day goes on. Now you know you can't do this if it's raining. If they get too dry and sometimes they will, pour them in with the soft ones. They'll re-absorb some moisture. Don't tell anybody my secret. Haha.


That sounds like my method. I've been using them for years too. If the fish are aggressive you may not need them but on the other days they can be a real game changer. I always start with nibbles and let the fish tell me if I need to keep using them.


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## Zach Jones

Does anyone plan to get out on the water next week for crappie with the full moon coming up?


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## Sabatino925

Planning on heading out Sunday - What's the impact of a full moon?


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## Zach Jones

I've had good bites days leading up to a full moon.


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## chaunc

I just go fishing. I don't care about the moon. I catch fish too.


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## Sabatino925

Ended up catching about a dozen Sunday. They dropped the water at hoover and all my spots were now out of the water lol. They were all bigger ones though, got like 5 11 inchers so that was nice.


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## Rooster

I’m convinced that tipping a jig improves my hook-up ratio, and maybe the number of bites. However, I always use wax worms. Do the nibbles offer any advantages over wax worms?


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## Sabatino925

I've never used wax worms, but it's about 4$ for probably 200 nibbles, and the nibbles don't die. So I guess that's a benefit? I just keep a small jar of them in my kayak so I can jump on the water without a stop at the bait store.


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## RMK

stopped at a dicks sporting goods this morning on my way to work.... berkley has a $10 mail in rebate on any 4 jars of nibbles. pretty good deal i think


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## chaunc

RMK said:


> stopped at a dicks sporting goods this morning on my way to work.... berkley has a $10 mail in rebate on any 4 jars of nibbles. pretty good deal i think


Don't bet on getting that rebate. I've tried several times this year to get my thirty bucks from them. They say the same thing every time I send the paperwork in to them. After the third time I gave up. Hope you get yours but good luck with that.


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## RMK

dang it... i guess the sales pitch worked on me then because i even went back in to buy 2 more to get my 4 for the rebate. thanks for the heads up chaunc


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## polebender

I’ve never had a problem getting my rebates back from Berkley. Got 4 back last year and 4 back this year. Mine were on Gulp products, but same company.


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## buckzye11

No nibbles for me but I dunk my plastics in smelly jelly... same idea as nibbles. I first tried nibbles but they wouldn’t stay on good( thanks for that insight on how to keep them on chaunc). So that’s why I went to the jelly. On the bottom hugging days I swear it makes a huge difference.


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## Zach Jones

I've never used smelly jelly before. What scents work best for you when crappie fishing?


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## buckzye11

Zach Jones said:


> I've never used smelly jelly before. What scents work best for you when crappie fishing?


The craw anise is the only one I use now, but bass feast was good too. It’s 10 bucks a jar, but it will last a year or more if you’re a weekender.


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## 1more

Going back a few yrs ago fishing the Blood River on Kentucky Lake.
My buddy was on the bow and I was in the back, both of us cast road runners and I was catching 4 to his 1 using crappie nibbles! Like Chaunc says set them in the sun and they will stay on the hook I even tipped them this weekend up erie perch fishing with Buckshots and YES they work!


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## c. j. stone

1more said:


> I even tipped them this weekend up erie perch fishing with Buckshots and YES they work!


Shhhhh!


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## Sabatino925

Has anyone ever tried making their own crappie nibbles? Could probably dial in a pretty good recipe if I knew what the crappies were looking for.

Somewhat related: I bought an off brand at walmart and they don't stink bad enough for me, just smell like play-dough. That being said, the fish in my pond like them well enough so maybe I should try em out, that's where I always test out new lures/baits.


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## chaunc

I'd rather spend my time on the water than in a room trying to reinvent something that's already been proven to work for me. The old saying if it ain't broke, don't fix it goes a long way with this old man. I'll keep buying and using them as long as they're working. I've tried just about every new scent that comes on the market to see if it can improve my catching. Some are pretty good, but none work as well for me as crappie nibbles. That's just me tho. Do what works best for yourselves.


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## Tom 513

Nibbles for me, and I have proven they work. I've gotten into trolling aka spider rigging for crappie, there have been timed when my partner and I start with minnows (double hook rigs) which can get pricey, when we start rinning low I let my partner use the remainING nminnows


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## Tom 513

oops fat fingered my phone, anyway I switch to plastics usually a Bobby garland brand and tip the jig with chartreuse crappie nibbles, more times then not I will out fish the minnows.


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## polebender

chaunc said:


> I'd rather spend my time on the water than in a room trying to reinvent something that's already been proven to work for me. The old saying if it ain't broke, don't fix it goes a long way with this old man. I'll keep buying and using them as long as they're working. I've tried just about every new scent that comes on the market to see if it can improve my catching. Some are pretty good, but none work as well for me as crappie nibbles. That's just me tho. Do what works best for yourselves.


Was that you chaunc that just filmed a Brushpile Fishing show with Russ Bailey for the 2018 season?


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## chaunc

polebender said:


> Was that you chaunc that just filmed a Brushpile Fishing show with Russ Bailey for the 2018 season?


Yes sir. Had a great time with him and the crew. Cold morning and windy afternoon, but I had spots planned ahead of time for them. We put a lot of good fish in the boat for a northern lake using my hang gliding technique. Should be an entertaining and teaching show. Looking forward to see how it's edited and produced. I've always been a big fan of all Russ's shows.


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## polebender

Yea, I thought that was you. I’ve always been a fan too! Can’t wait to see the show! It’s always nice to see a show filmed close to home.


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## baitguy

where / when / what channel is that show on? I'm a northern ohio boy w/direct TV if that matters any ...


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## polebender

It’s shown on the Pursuit Channel. But you can go to pursuit.com or brushpilefishing.com and watch them online.
The shows they are filming now will air in 2018.


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## crappiedude

chaunc said:


> Should be an entertaining and teaching show.


Looking forward to the new season and specifically will be looking forward to this show.


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