If I'm Crappie fishing ... I'm using plastics about 95% of the time. Sitting still/tied up and relaxing ... I'll put on minnows. But, if I'm serious about it ... I'm casting !! Jigheads/plastics, marabou jigs, or marabou Roadrunners have put more Crappie in the livewell, for me, than minnows ever did ... and bigger ones, too.
I like alot of different brands, but some of my more favorite ones are :
Panfish Assassin Shads
CrappiePro Solid Body Tubes
BPS Sparkle Squirts (hollow tubes)
Roadrunners (marabou)

Mostly I use 1/32oz & 1/16oz jigs/jigheads/RR's ... regardless of method of presentation.

... cp