QUESTION ABOUT WINTERTIME DEPTH OF FISH

[jay the baptist]

I'm just bored and curious.
So many on here talk about fishing 8 fow and deeper for winter crappie. 10-12 fow on my lake right now. But Richard Gene will fish 20-24 inches deep with a bobber on the coldest day of the year. He 2 hours north of me. He seem to always target shallow fish.
Are y'all fishing shallow like Richard?
I fish by myself so y'all are my teachers.
Thanks.

[parratt1]

I haven't been on the water for a couple of weeks but the last time I was out, we found fish stacked from a foot down all the way to the bottom in anywhere from 15 to 35 feet of water. It kind of goes against everything your gut tells you but crappie high in the water column in the winter is really common

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[Rojo]

I'm on the Coast and most of the Hammer's are coming off the bottom, 13-15 FOW. That being said I see Hammer's fly up in our unusually clear water on the screen to eat the jig when it has only sunk 1/2 way down. Richard is catching very active fish for sure and the population where he's fishing may be greater than where you fish. Crappie can be competitive, that works to our advantage. I fish deep all winter, I'm catching Pig's at depth. I do catch fish shallower but they are usually smaller too. There Be Monsters in Winter Waters, that's all I fish for this time of year. My

[CrappiePappy]

Yes, in some cases the "warmer" water is in the top few feet & fish will seek such water.

And I've caught Crappie in 40* water, right next to the bank in <3fow (fishing from the western bank, shortly after sunrise, over and next to a large deadfall that extended from the bank out into 25fow). Fish were ususally 8' down over the treetop & deep water, but some were right next to the tree trunk at the rocky shoreline. Air temps were in the 30's (Jan).

[Tom 513]

I follow a local pro who doesn't mind teaching his followers, he always, year round targets 2fow, he says that's where the bigger fish are.

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[J White]

Good discussion. Reminds me that stuff I think I know isn’t necessarily how it is. Always questioning.


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[jay the baptist]

All good information. Thank you.

[bamahound]

Crappie up shallow are eating minnows. Minnows live in the shallows on feeder creeks year round and some docks, ect. with good flow through them. Time of day and wind play a roll in when they go shallow in heavy minnow areas. It's always a hit or miss for me on shallow crappie in winter but someone with a gopro can make it look easy

[keeferfish]

We’ve used bobbers next to ice