I have caught Crappies (pronounced "cropees") using many different methods. One of my favorite methods is the minnow method. If there's one thing that I've learned all these years, it's that Crappies LOVE minnows.

To effectively master the minnow method, you must first have the minnows. To obtain the minnows, you must also have a minnow bucket. A minnow bucket is really a fairly small cylinder, roughly the size and width of a Quaker Oats container, which comes to a point at the top. A bar goes through a hole on the top of the actual bucket. You can tie a nylon rope to this bar so you have some way to tie the bucket to an anchor so it doesn't float away in the river. Once you have acquired a minnow bucket, go to the nearest river, find a good place, and set your bucket down in the water. The minnows will get trapped in the bucket and you will have instant Crappie bait.

Another very effective way to catch minnows is by seining for them. A seine is simply a large net. There are two types of seines on the market today. One type is the kind that you throw out into a river from the bank, and the other type is the old-fashioned type, which needs three people to operate. With this seine, two people stand on either side of the seine, each holding the poles on each side, and the third person walks a few yards in front of the seine, dragging his or her feet along the bottom, kicking up various insects off the bottom. The seine that I have is a one-person seine. To use this type, you stand on the bank, throw the seine into the water, and pull it in by the long cord. Doing this will cause the seine to pull together, thus trapping the bait inside.

Throwing a seine accurately and correctly does take some practice. First, drape part of it over your shoulder, turn sideways, and grab onto the end draped back over your shoulder. If you are holding it right, you should look as though you have a wing like a bat (the seine hanging from your outstretched arm would be the wing). Now, swing your body so your arm holding the seine goes back like a discus thrower's, and throw the seine out on top of the targets as you would a discus. Wait a few seconds before you bring it back in, then pull the long string that pulls the seine together. In the event that you find a minnow with its head caught in the seine, grab the fish by the tail and give it a tug. Don't worry if the head comes off, simply pick that out and throw it back in the water with the rest of

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