Summertime, how and where do you fish

[mistertwister]

Once the spawn has concluded and summer sets in, what tactics do you use and where do you fish? I don't have the luxury of living on or near what many would consider to be a solid, crappie lake. Just wondering how you transition from the spring spawn to the hot summer months and what patterns you have found and the methods you use to keep catching slabs through the summer. i.e. trolling deepwater cranks, drifting deep water, etc.
thanks
twister

[Crappie Wisdom]

I will drift open water looking for fish. Once the spawn is over the fish will be just about anywhere but mostly suspended in 30ft. Besides the spawn if u can find a good pod of baitfish the crappie will be under feeding. Lots of moving around to find then in summer. But thats all the time:p

[NIMROD]

Our lake is shallow by most standards . It is 3 to 8 ' at low pool with some water in channels over 20'. The crappie seem to perfer the channel drops at times around stumps and other cover. I have seen them following schools of shad on flats as shallow as 2' during the hot summer time! These are usually caught spider rigging (trolling with several poles with minnows or lures ). We used to catch them spider rigging in hot weather trolling minnows every summer. But I usually just verticale jig fish till July , and then switch to baited holes for Channel Catfish.:D

[Mo'nBack]

In the hot summer time the fish here will be between 10-19ft. I mainly find brush at this depth and work it over real good. Sometimes they are as close to cover as they can get and other times they are all around the outside. It depends on where the sun is compared to the brush alot of times (they'll be in the shade). I also slow troll with multiple jigs and 2 poles at different depths. Hope this helps.

[Deacon]

I usually go to trolling during the hot days of summer. Two poles out the boat dragging jigs deep.

[Backlash]

I fish dead line in brush piles/stumps, etc. near or on creek channels at whatever depths I can find fish. In the summer they are usually in the 15-20 foot range in this area but sometimes you have to hunt for them at other depths. I fish about 50-50 with minnows and jigs.

[Bruce Carp]

tightline fish the thermoclime in and over brush and other structure/cover. fish deep and fish early and late in the day or night fish 10-12 feet deep. Good luck.

[fishman247]

hot summer months = night stalkin....... it's cooler at night and not near as much water lice.......... put out the lights over 30' of water and let the crappie come to you!!!!!!!!

[crappiencali]

I usually slow troll horsehead jigs with a tube or tipped with a minnow. But last year when I was home I fished with a friend of mine on Truman and the deepest we fished we 6' and as shallow to 3'. To my surprise we caught limits of fish,, and quality fish. If you fish murky water they will stay shallow, now out here in California the water is so clear that I have to fish deep. Never night fished, but I plan on it when I get back to Missouri.

[BANDIT]

Slow with minnows or fast with crankbaits :D I troll bandits May thru July with great success.