Where do crappie go in the winter?

[CrappiePappy]

AND ... ya'll don't want to forget the springs that may be in your lakes The water coming from them can be a few degrees warmer than the surrounding area's water, and you can bet the fish know where they are !! And on the flip side, during hot water times they can also provide cooler water !!

[Herewego]

The cold weather temps we just had in the lowcountry of South Carolina plunged the surface temperature to 47 degrees and the crappie l had been catching suspended over brush in around 25 fow are now hugging the bottom near by as they still show up on livescope and are still catchable.


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[Fishnwiz]

I fish a public crappie dock, water ranges for 18 ft to 25 ft. Depending on the crappies mood we catch them 6 ft deep around hanging brush to a foot or so off the bottom. Winter dock fishing is my favorite time of year. Only missed 6 days since October 15.


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[Ketchn]

so here in lies what many fail to understand about these fish
this very thing befuddled me for a good while , one spot 3 foot of water dead of winter , next spot 30 foot of water dead on the bottom in the dead of winter.
there was a study done at one point somewhere that helped me better understand this drastic change of scenarios .
according to the study, in several larger water bodies, several different species of fish lived most of their lives in certain depth ranges .
one group in short water
one group in open water
one group in deep water
I know several lakes in this area have one group suspended in open water all winter and one group parked along the dam in deep water on the bottom and yet also have a major run of them way up the other end of the lake in a shallow creek.
does this totally explain it, not exactly but to be very sure crappie have certain tendencies in certain places that don't exist in the next spot right down the road.
as mentioned, average water dpeths in a water body,coupled with water clarity and the predominant food sources all play into the puzzle.
the easiest way to figure them out locally is to see what the local folks do on each water body, many of the old timers and locals pursue them year-round and know right when and where to be on their home lakes, sometimes just a quick question or 2 will unravel the bird nest / backlash on your reel .....just saying

[ezgoing]

Today they were in submerged trees 40 foot deep in 60 foot of water. I scanned a lot of docks and didn't see anything. So I finally moved to a submerged forest shown on a map of the lake that I purchased when I moved here. It pays to use maps and Google Earth before you fish a new lake, especially a lake as large as Lake Washington.

In 4 hours of fishing I could only get 2 small ones to bite, even using my new toy lures. Finally got tired of the rain showers and called it quits around 2:00. But I finally got out on the lake and caught crappie in Washington.

[CentKyPaddler]

AND ... ya'll don't want to forget the springs that may be in your lakes The water coming from them can be a few degrees warmer than the surrounding area's water, and you can bet the fish know where they are !! And on the flip side, during hot water times they can also provide cooler water !!

Never thought about that. Is there a way to find these spots?


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[catchNgrease]

Where I'm from N. Alabama I got friends that catch fish year round focusing on water less than 6ft and others that never leave 30ft of open water and they consistently catch quality fish. And you better believe that Richard Gene has caught fish where he made that video for the past umpteen years given that same set of conditions. Find your way of fishing on your spots you like to fish and find fish. Me personally I tend to focus on water that is between 12-22 ft with decent structure and contour and I follow the bait. I also keep digital records and follow a yearly plan.

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[CrappiePappy]

Never thought about that. Is there a way to find these spots?


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Maps are probably the only way, other than local knowledge. I haven't looked at a paper map in so long I'm not sure if they even show the locations of any springs ... but maybe the old USGS maps would show them.

[catchNgrease]

Maps are probably the only way, other than local knowledge. I haven't looked at a paper map in so long I'm not sure if they even show the locations of any springs ... but maybe the old USGS maps would show them.

They show up as bubbles rising on LS

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[KrappieKrane]

Where I'm from N. Alabama I got friends that catch fish year round focusing on water less than 6ft and others that never leave 30ft of open water and they consistently catch quality fish. And you better believe that Richard Gene has caught fish where he made that video for the past umpteen years given that same set of conditions. Find your way of fishing on your spots you like to fish and find fish. Me personally I tend to focus on water that is between 12-22 ft with decent structure and contour and I follow the bait. I also keep digital records and follow a yearly plan.

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CatchNgrease,
Is your digital records on an app or another way? I’m looking to retain my fishing records on something and was curious what you use. Thanks for any input.