Calico Custom Lures is a veteran-owned company based in the river valley in Arkansas. They offer a wide variety of baits for everything from panfish to largemouth and smallmouth bass.
What sets it apart?
Made of supersoft plastic, the Calico Crappie Stinger has excellent action in the water. Just a little twitch of your rod tip gives it enough motion to attract strikes from lazy and lethargic crappie. They’re already available in a wide range of colors. But if you can’t find what you want, give them a description and they’ll mix something up for you.
How do I use it?
Soft-plastic crappie baits offer a slightly different action in the water than marabou and feather jigs. They also have a different fall rate that is sometimes just enough to tempt crappie that are positioned in the water looking up waiting for a bait to fall into their mouths. The baits pair well with all types of jigheads, but I prefer a 1/16-ounce Neon Moon Eye from VMC because they come in a variety of color schemes that tend to match well with whichever color you’re using.
How much?
Calico Custom Lures Crappie Stingers are available in 20 packs for $3.49.
Bryan’s insight:
The first Calico Custom Lures Crappie Stingers I noticed on Instagram were black with a silver bottom. I thought they looked fantastic, so I asked the owners if they had anything in ice blue to match the blue Jiffy Jigs I often use to shoot docks for crappie in clear water. They asked to see a picture of the jigs, and in 24 hours, they ran a perfect match they called blue halo shad. I liked them so much I ordered 10 packs and quickly went on rapala.com to order the 1/16-ounce VMC Neon Moon Eye jigheads I thought would pair best with them. That combo immediately became my go-to setup for clear water early in the year. They worked extremely well around the deeper ends of blowdowns, and I’ve got a freezer full of crappie fillets right now because of them. I can’t wait to order some additional colors for bluegill and redear sunfish.
Where to buy:
Facebook: @CalicoCustomLures
