While there is some evidence that perhaps certain colors of Crappie Nibbles do perform better at certain times, I don’t believe it matters all that much. The main goal of adding a nibble to begin with is to include scent and taste into your setup. Your jig color should be what you use to bring different colors into the mix, not a nibble. With that said, the best color of Crappie Nibbles is chartreuse. Why would I say chartreuse right after saying it doesn’t matter? Well, because chartreuse is king in the world of crappie colors. When in doubt always choose chartreuse anything when it comes to crappie fishing. That’s surely the safest bet in most scenarios.
Does Crappie Nibble Color Matter?
So, now that we know chartreuse is the best color for crappie, what about the other colors. Are they even worth fooling with? I do think it’s probably never a bad idea to add a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th color to your bait. Crappie are visual feeders and definitely respond to different colors in different water conditions.
Typically it’s never a bad idea to give crappie multiple colors to choose from when they see your bait. Some colors will be more visible and attractive, depending on the water clarity and brightness of the day. Even cloud cover moving overhead can impact what color they prefer at a given time. Because of this, instead of chartreuse, I’ll sometimes use pink or white Nibbles to contrast whatever jig color I have tied on.
To recap, while you can add a dash of color by using Crappie Nibbles, that should definitely not be your primary color provider. The reason is because in a short time your nibble will wash out and shrink in size. This isn’t an issue if the bite is hot of course. However, if the bite is that hot, you won’t need to add a nibble anyway.
Glittery Crappie Nibbles Work
I also really like the glittery Sparkle Nibbles on days when some sun is penetrating the water. Minnow scales sparkle, so it only makes sense to me that adding a little sparkle to your setup can only help things. When fishing in murky water with little sunlight penetration I’ll pass on the Sparkle Nibbles, and instead stick to the original or the Chroma-Glow. Glitter baits aren’t going to do you much good if the sunlight can’t find it’s way to the bait.
One downside of Sparkle Nibbles is that the glitter gets all over the place. Your hands, your boat carpet, your tackle bag will all sparkle as though you have been to the club.
How To Rig Your Crappie Nibbles
There are several ways I rig my crappie nibbles. Sometimes I use 1, sometimes I use 2, and sometimes I literally cram them up inside the bait.
Single Nibbles Are Stealthy
If the fish are acting a little spooky I like to insert a single Nibble onto the hook and push it close to the base of my jig so that it blends into the bait a bit.
Pile Them On
On days when the fish aren’t quite so picky I might even stick 2 nibbles on jigs that have larger hooks. This is because the nibble will degrade and get smaller the longer it’s in the water. With 2 nibbles, you continue to get quite a bit of sent drifting in the water all the way up until they completely dissolve.
Inserting Nibbles Into A Crappie Tube
Finally, when using crappie tubes, I like to actually insert nibbles inside the tube. When you do this, you don’t have to worry whether a light bite has knocked your nibble off. This is particularly important to me when I’m spider rigging 6 poles. I don’t want to constantly pick my baits up to check if a single nibble is still on the hook or not. Sometimes I’ll fish a crappie tube in combination with a minnow on the same jig. Let’s say I get a hit while I’m not looking at my poles and the minnow gets stolen. If I have pumped my tubes with PowerBait, I still have that scent attractant working for me, even in the absence of the minnow.
When inserting Nibbles, color certainly doesn’t matter. Therefore, I use whatever color I have the most of when loading my bait pump.
To insert Nibbles into a tube I use a “Bait Pump”. This device used to be very popular among the crappie fishing community. For whatever reason I don’t hear about it as much these days. I still like it and use it every year. I’ll admit that the nipple is fragile and I have in fact broken mine, but it still works so I continue to use it. You can see my Bait Pump in the image below. A cheaper alternative to the Bait Pump is to use a syringe like you get with certain liquid medications. Just shove your Crappie Nibbles into the tube of the syringe and inject the resulting paste into the cavity of your crappie tube.
Colorful Crappie Nibbles Look Like Paintballs
When you use an assortment of colors throughout the course of several days on the water, your boat carpet is going to look like you used it for a paintball war. Accept it and move on. Trying to keep a boat clean during the crappie spawn feels pointless to me. I have grown to accept it and take pride in it in some weird way. Yes, I’ve been crappie fishing, and yes I used PowerBait! Be warned, these baits are very messy! If they don’t sound like your cup of tea, keep reading below.
Best Alternative To Crappie Nibbles
If you decide that Nibble color doesn’t actually give you any advantage, then you might wonder what other quality crappie scents are available that don’t involve sticking a round bait ball onto your hook. Well, you’re in luck, there are several, the most common of which these days seems to be “Slab Sauce”. If Nibbles aren’t your thing, I definitely think Slab Sauce is worth giving a try. It has a very strong reputation within the crappie fishing community.
Ditch The Nibbles In A Hot Bite
I really don’t think scents are all that necessary when the bite is on, regardless of color. When the bite is fast and furious I leave my PowerBait in the jar for another day, and I suggest you do the same. They will do nothing but slow you down.
Conclusion
I do think color matters to some degree when it comes to selecting your PowerBait, but I don’t think it’s a huge factor. When in doubt, just purchase a jar of chartreuse Nibbles. If your budget allows, also add in some white, pink and Sparkle Nibbles to round out your arsenal.
Tight Lines!
Augustus Clay
If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in checking out some of my other crappie related articles linked below.
Best Minnow Net For Crappie
Loop Knots For Crappie Jigs
Best Jig Colors For Crappie And How To Choose
