finding crappies

[bucketmouth64]

I need some advice from the crappie experts.
What is the best way to find crappies on a lake. I would like to try some alternative fishing other than bass fishing when my kids are around. Where do you find them this time of year? Is live bait needed for a better bite or can artificial work just as well.

[CrappieJohn]

I'd begin by looking at those places that hold pre-spawn crappies...wood or weedlines in moderate depth water with much deeper water nearby. The weed fringes and wood will hold the active fish and those that are neutral (still catchable) will be in the deeper stuff. The big problem here is that all lakes are not created equal and attempting to steer you in a certain direction is almost impossible. The big plus is that what you know about bass can be used to find those craps. Look for the fish to be in water similar to what you begin looking for bass in in the early spring, only try to find that same water only with wood or weeds and starting deep fish your way up until fish are hitting. I prefer wood over weeds. Your best approach with kids will be floats and bait. Try both waxies on small jigs and minnows for the kids and while they are occupied you can toss out a small to medium sized twister on a jig or a 1 1/2 inch tube and try teasing some. If the plastics work better than the bait for you, turn all rods over to the plastic...the fishing will be faster and the fish larger.

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster....good fishing guys!
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[united jigsticker]

As Tom says, all lakes are created different.

What type of lake are you fishing? With some info on lake structure, water clarity, max depth, and general location in the state we could probably almost pinpoint the Crappies.

Lakes I fish are doing anywhere from what Tom said, which is the deep weed edges with sharp breaks, to fish belly in the mud in 18-22 feet, to suspended fish hitting over 30-40 feet of water.

It's just a matter of what type of body of water your pursuing.

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Good fishing,
UJ
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[Corey Bechtold]

BM64 give us a description of the lake(s) you fish and we'll try to help you out. Water clarity, temp, weed types, bottom content,etc.

[bucketmouth64]

Thanks for all the information. I fish Coon a lot and I have fished Spectacle and Green lake in Isanti county.

[markkstanley]

Where are some decent crappie spots for fall on the west end of Tonka?? I can find 'em in the spring and later ice fishing but never seem to track them down in fall in any numbers.