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.

Sometimes, agonizing over the perfect reel to pair with a technique-specific rod is fun. Other times, you want to buy a complete setup and go fishing. That’s where a crappie combo comes in handy. It’s ...