Crappie Have Become HARD To Find

[Gill Fisher]

We have had a LOT of rain since Christmas in the Upstate of SC. Lake Hartwell, fittingly enough, is Clemson Orange rather than its usual clear water. The Tugaloo River which is a mountain stream is usually crystal clear, but not now. And Crappie are REALLY hard to find. Our usual brush piles are showing NO fish. None of our brush piles, not the shallow ones or the deeper ones are showing any fish on the fish finders. Where do Crappie go in such conditions? The water temperature is in the low 50's. And the water level is above full pond. The weather forecast for this week is for several days of more rain. Any ideas?

GF

[Crestliner08]

How deep have you searched for them? If you are getting 50 degree water (I'm assuming at the surface), I'm suspecting that it's a lot cooler down deep. Up in my neck of the woods they have tendency to suspend and/or sit on the bottom (15' - 25') during the cold water periods. But I don't have any experience with the areas you are talking about?

We also find that during the cold water periods sometimes you just don't "see" fish on your sonar very often. Best to look for bait balls relating to, or on structure.

[NIMROD]

Look suspended , where livescope shines

[Ketchn]

they have been off here in Texas all winter on all the spots I hit .
it might be just something I really don't have an answer to as I really don't .
none of the multiple lakes I hit have been anything in numbers of fish like last year .
my 2 cents

[Fishfishwish]

Hot here in SE VA. Pulled in nearly 300 from the banks in January and February.

[ezgoing]

I haven't found them that hard to find out on the lake. However I have found it almost impossible to get them to bite once you find them. The only things I haven't tried are a throw net, electric shock and dynamite. If this continues I may end up resorting to trying all three.