Locating hard to find crappie? Help!

[DieselGeek]

Hi all, I need some advise. I fish a 125 acre lake where I have caught crappie in the shallows during the spring/summer spawn. But when they aren't in the shallows I have a really hard time locating them. Its a very deep lake, lots of ledges and rock and steep drops, and not a whole lot of wood or brush structure. I have buzzed around watching the sonar without much luck locating schools. Any tips for tactics to help me find them during the upcoming cold months? Techniques, lures etc. Thanks!

[Cmj]

I would start sinking brush on the structure you mentioned. That will give you some good places to fish next summer. Place some on secondary channels leading to and from spawning areas. Those should be good for pre and post spawn fish. Place some on main lake drops near channel bends for summer fishing. Also look for flats or bays in the 10-15ft range that have lots of submerged vegetation. Drop some pallet beds in those areas and you should have a summer hot spot that is almost impossible to see on a fish/depth finder. For the upcoming months, look for shad schools in any deep bays, creeks that sort of thing. If your lake has any deep tributaries or narrows that shoot off of the main lake, that is where I would search for ledges and schools of bait fish this winter. If you don't have anything like that, search the main lake structure for shad. Hope this helps.

[Eagle 1]

you can't find them on a depth finder . they most likely are shallow regardless of depth . jmo (that isn't worth much ). clarity of water ? Some of the real fishermen will chime in shortly .

[DieselGeek]

I appreciate any insight the lake is very clear. On a calm day I can see 6-8' down. It's also spring fed so its always a few degrees colder than other lakes I fish. Im not sure what "channels" are. The only feeder creek (or tributary) is at the upper end. The lake is basically a big peanut shape. Only 2 small inlets. The shallow part at the upper end and deeper as you near the dam. Why would they not show up on the ff? I use the sonar to find schools of crappie at other lakes I fish, but they are significantly shallower, maybe that's why. I don't spend much time in the open, deep water of the lake. Should I pay more attention to that area? I usually drift a few rods at different depths with different color plastics. Should I be pulling cranks? I have had some luck on metal too at times. Seems to be hit or miss with that.

[DieselGeek]

Also the water is currently 54 degrees now. How shallow might they be? The other day when I was there I never went shallower than 12'. Should I go as shallow as 5-6 FOW? The other day at another lake I fish I was catching them between 15-18', in 21-25 FOW.

[Special K]

Deep Water on structure! If your not used to seeing crappies on the bottom... depending on your sonar unit... they will look like shrubs or bushy trees growing up from the bottom.
Your unit may not even mark them with fish symbols because of the "tell tale" stacking that crappies do at this time of year.

[Cmj]

I would be looking deeper first. But the most important thing is shad, find those and you will find the Crappie. Channels are where the old creeks ran before the lake was dammed. They, shad and crappie, use the channels as navigation routes from one area to another. I would start at the dam and troll minners at different depths until you find some fish, be sure to put a couple on the bottom. Sometimes fish don't show up on sonar if they are flat on the bottom.

[DieselGeek]

It's in excess of 90' at the deepest. I assume that's a little too deep but I could be wrong. What if the lake doesn't have shad? I'm pretty sure it doesn't. I have seen minners but never shad. If I don't have access to live minnows (or I can't catch any) should I use jigs, plastics or cranks?

[Special K]

Yes, I would think you would need to get better at the 20 to 30 feet water before you attempt going into the deepest fathoms of total darkness and obscurity. Are you saying the lake doesn't have shad or are you asking? I would think that either minnows or jigs would work given that you use the right approach and presentation. Your questions are very general in nature and cannot be answered adequately in the context of a couple of forum posts... although I / We are certainly anxious to help all we can.

I actually have written a series of articles that can be found on the HOME PAGE of our Crappie.com forum. You can see those articles listed down the right hand side of the page... look for Articles by Special K. I talk in depth about many aspects of crappie fishing for newbies and for more experienced anglers that pertain to all seasons of the year. There are also many other good articles written by others listed there too. You have no doubt come to the right place for all the help you can ever want or need.

Welcome by the way!

[DieselGeek]

Thank you! Yes I will look for those articles, I'm sure they will teach me a lot. I was saying that the lake does not have shad. At least not that I know of, and I can't find anything about shad from the DNR. I guess I was just wondering if there was a tactic to help me locate the crappie. As I said I know where to find them in spring/summer. But when the water cools and the lake turns over I can't find them! Tricky little things