What would you do?

[Ketchn]

There are about 6 or more different questions I would ask before I would attempt this answer with any hope of getting the right answer , predominant bait fish ? Predominant species of crappie ? Bottom composition ? Average bait size ? Are the fish under open water bait ? Water vegetation ? And the list goes on .....but if it were me going in blind this time of year i would drop a tandem 1/32 on clear line in several different colors until I hit what got bit . I would also try very shallow very early in the day around any flats close to deep water and hit those deep water ledges later in the day as a start ......
And never give up , it is just a matter of time before you get dialed up on them ....

[Snuffy115]

Thank you all for you advice. I appreciate it very much.

To answer the questions that were asked;
This is a man made lake. When they were building the expressway into Chicago, they were digging this area to use as fill dirt when they hit a spring. A few days later it filled with water so they mad a park out of it. The western shore line is a small golf coarse that's not accessible for shore fishing. There are 3 floating docks on the northwest protrusion of the lake. water depth at the end of the dock is 7'
The lake doesn't have a large variety of fish. Bass, Crappie, catfish, carp, and bluegill are the predominate species. I've heard reports of perch but haven't seen any. They also put some stripper in there recently but they are very small, about 4" or 5". There are also rock bass, bull head, cray fish, turtles ducks and geese that call it home.
The bottom is basically clay. It's fairly soft.

A couple years ago they treated the lake to kill off the vegetation. It was so thick you could almost walk across the lake. The sail boats were having difficulties. They have sail boat races there twice a week.

The deepest part of the lake is about 22'. It's the dark blue area in the map and is only accessible by boat. The rest of it is about 8' - 9', flat and uneventful, not much more that a sump or two.
The south west corner drops to about 18' within 20' to 30' from shore.

The entire shoreline is riprap.

You can only see a few feet into the water, which looks like it has a lot of suspended algae in it. The lake looks green but if you fill a bucket with water it looks fairly clear.

The crappie that I've been catching have been suspended in open water about 10' 12' feed down in 15'- 16'. They usually hang out in spots around the deep section but have been known to travel to the shallower water but usually only the small ones. The ones you catch from the docks or the east or southeast shore are typically smaller than 8".

It looks like they are still in the usual spots, I just haven't been able to figure out how to pique their interest in anything I'm offering.

The highest surface temp I have recorded was 80.6 about 3 weeks ago. This past Saturday it was 71.6

[chaunc]

Are there black crappies in this lake? They will stay shallow all season. Find a series of brushpiles, maybe four or more, in a small area, four to ten foot of water over them, and you will find some fish using them. If not feeding, for shade. Keep changing bait colors, size, shape, and weights until you find the few they will hit. Add some form of scent to help them become more aware your bait is down there. They may smell it before they even see it and come looking. Change depths and don't be afraid to lose some baits to the brush. Sometimes it takes a little shaking of it to get those crappies active. Many days I've had to bump the stump or brush to get them started biting my jigs. I've used well over twenty different baits some days, searching to see what they'll hit. Don't hesitate to change. Change when you feel you've given that bait a fair chance. Always, always start with your most confident bait but don't hesitate to change it if it isn't producing. For me, this is why I can continue to catch fish when so many other guys put their gear away until the water cools. The proof is in the pictures I post all summer long.

[warmouth]

Try some bigger and smaller baits. 3"+ or 1.25" jigs. They should be more active mornings and late evenings and be more aggressive and shallower. They will hang on those steep contour lines in the middle of the day, but that is not typically a hot time for feeding.

Keep changing jig size and style until something clicks. Scent/nibbles is also a good thing to try.