Try a smaller hook. I live in Central Illinois and our weather has been the same as yours. I think we set a new low temp record last night. In the summer I use a #4 hook tipped with a minnow under a slip boober. Today I wasnt catching anything, not even a nibble. Switched to a #6 and started to catch fish.
I suspect the fish feeding on teh surface was a school of baitfish, shad around here is the common name. Crappie feed on those baitfish. Crappie look up, so they feed up, there food is above them. Knowing this, drop your biat to the bottom and work it back up to the surface in 1'-2' incriments. When you get hits you found the depth. If your fishing structre (brush piles, cribs, trees, etc) reverse that, start fishing shallow ans work your way down. Teh smaller fish will hit first, drop down another 1' or so to get at the bigger fish.
You have the right technique, you just need to tweek it some.
Last edited by CrappiePappy; 10-12-2009 at 07:29 AM.
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