Locating crappies

[chuckwagon]

Will crappies suspend over deep basins that are very gradual steps in structure around them or should I find really quick breaks around a hole? Also I see small 20 foot holes surrounded by 5 or less feet of water close to shore. Can these areas hold fish or will be out towards the deep? Haha rambling ... I am going to put some really good time into pounding out holes and locating this weekend and don't want to waste half a day looking in dumb areas. Thanks for any help or input.

[bbfenatic]

Go to the deepest area first, unless it is like a 60' small hole. Say it is 40'....drill holes from that 40' deepest part through the adjoining basin into 30', then into 20' all holes about 10 - 15 yds apart. I find that they will be in the deep hole at low light levels and then cruising that shallower basin area during the day, just hole hop till you find them, catch the aggressive fish out of that spot and move to the next. Once you have your holes drilled you can keep circling back to all of them and continue to catch out of the holes already drilled. I don't find crappies off sharp structure....and a lake with a muck or mud bottom is best IMO. Others will have their ideas but this is what works for me.

[EBass]

I haven't been out in a couple of weeks but we fished the weeds and they come in after dusk. I don't fish the schools out deep. They run small any ways.

[amateurfishing]

i found them in a mid basin on sunday. deepest hole is 60 & they cruised arund me suspended 20-30 ft in 35 ft water. 1 hr b4 sunset my graph was solid for bout 30 minutes....unreal & had a blast. most were over 10 inches

[Jim Uran]

This is what I look for, I like to look for good sized basins in the 20-30 foot range adjacent to large midlake shallow flats. When it comes to basin crappies there is no shortcuts. Get out and drill those basins out and you will find them. Once you learn where to look and find them that pattern will pretty much hold strong year to year

[chuckwagon]

When saying fishing weeds. Are you fishing over the tops of them or a weed line. How deep are the weeds at right now?

[fish_eat_sleep]

Gotta set the inter web down and go drill some holes.

Theres no "dumb" areas. You'd be surprised the crazy out of the way holes iv caught fish in.

[chuckwagon]

haha yeah .... technology can sometimes easily consume the brain and take away from just getting out there and enjoying just that. i got yesterday and searched 4 separate structures i was interested in but could not find suspended fish. the crappies were all hugging bottom. and were all very small. ill be back at it later today and tomorrow. we shall see what i can come up with thank you guys for all the helpful tips i appreciate them greatly!

[Jim Uran]

Yes Chuckwagon, you are going about it the right way. Its great to get others opinions, and to tweek them and go out and try to find your own method of doing it!

Weed fish are a hole different ball game than basin fish.

[chuckwagon]

I drilled structure for about 4 hours today and only came up with perch and gills. Going to keep on tomorrow. I know a hundred spots to go and sit with the crowd but I am really trying find my own spot where I'm alone

[The_Slayer]

You and I are on the same page Chuck! I'm not interested fishing shoulder to shoulder. Last summer we moved to Ward Springs and away from my old honey holes. Tons of great lakes around here, I just need to learn them. Spending some unproductive catching time this winter but having fun trying. If you're from around here let me know. We can learn together.

[Vitreus]

I;ve been fishing shallower lakes this season (max 15 FOW), but I've found that they have definitely initiated the deep water migration. As it gets close to sunset, and the action heats up, I will basically run from hole to hole. I set up a grid of about 20 holes in the area that produces during the day, and then once the sun touches the horizon, the race is on. I will see fish in a lot of holes, but I find that the bottom huggers tend to be smaller and less aggressive. It seems that the fish that are up 3-5' (keep in mind this is 15 FOW) are almost a guarantee.

[otterman91105]

The fish that are closer to the bottome i have also found they are smaller and they don't tend to want to bite as well as the crappies that are off the bottom a few feet.

[Jim Uran]

The fish tight to the bottom are tighter lipped, but that's pretty much true all of the time, you get those ones up in the water column they are very hungry!!

That's why it's nice to drill out an area and go through with a Vexilar and look for those suspended fish!

[FisH_SLaYer24]

Don't be afraid to throw them a curve ball if they aren't hitting your initial presentation. I have had a lot of crappies that will come up and just look at my bait and swim away. That is when I will reel up fast, grab my other rod, and drop down to where the fish are. Nine times out of ten, they will come up and smoke the new bait.

[Musky Buck]

My buddy claims sorta that the minnow bite is dead, go waxworm. We fished Saturday night with him 3 of us and 0 bites we had crappie minnows on, the next night with 4 fewer lines he got 5 really nice ones 13-14 inchers all on waxy's. However, I'd go with 1 of each really. We had fish on our fishless night come up to our jigs/minnows no takers.

[otterman91105]

Most of the time i will put a minnow on a bobber and when i jig it's a eurolarve or wax worms.

[river-rat4]

Minnows vs waxies, depends on the weather/hatch/pressure/size. To many variables.

River-Rat4