When I fish for crappie and a lot of gills are present, I like to go without any larva of any kind. The larva slows the fall down to the bottom where the crappie usually are, and makes it too easy for the gills to catch up with it on the way down.
Other times, when I'm just panfishing in general, I like to use spikes (red, green or white), waxies or Goldenrod Grubs. The latter of which are a little laborious to render from the weed stalks, but they are dynamite panfish bait. Dave made a video about how to find them a few years ago. They are probably my favorite bait overall because they are fun to go out and hunt for and they produce a scent that the fish seem to respond to very well.
For perch, I like to use minnows or minnow heads on either a silver or gold jig or spoon. This will produce nice crappie as well.
For eyes, I like to use anything that looks like a minnow or other prey species such as a perch. This can be achieved either by using a lure like a swedish pimple or a Jammin Jigs Crippled Willow in a perch or other pattern.
