why won't they bite

[kobb]

Was fishing in 40 ft of water and graphing fish 28ft down, but couldn't hardly get anything to bite. Moved in closer to shore and found 28 ft of water with fish just off the bottom and caught crappies like crazy. What was the difference?

kobb

[CrappieJohn]

This isn't unusual for crappies. Fish hanging out over the deep water at a specific depth are resting fish. When you moved closer to shore or to a water depth closer to the depth the fish were found over the deep stuff, the fish were much closer to the bottom....where their food source was located and they were actively feeding.

[Bull]

Could have been an inactive school, or possibly baitfish.The fish may have been moving on to the brake to feed. I fish a lake that the active fish are always in the 17 to 21' range and if you move deep there are huge schools of inactive fish, if you put the camera down it is a school of fish that are generaly the same size. I think that they transiton back and forth to feed. The 17 to 21' is a much "stickier bottom" that must hold suitable forage.

"Where are the true 1lb. Bulls"

[Matt Johnson]

You found the fish suspended 28 feet down out in deeper water, then you moved in and found them relating to the bottom in 28 feet of water? Or were they suspended in 28 feet of water?

Like Tom mentioned, I've often times found that crappies will slide up shallower to the same depths that they were suspending in out in deeper water. So if I find crappies suspended 20 feet down in 30 feet of water, I can then sometimes find crappies nearby relating to the bottom in 20 feet, just up the breakline. Usually these movements will occur when crappies make the move to feed.

You could have very easily seen a difference in bottom content, where you had an influx of plankton bloom or risers. You could have also seen a soft-bottom area over that 28 foot mark that was lined with insects and other micro-organisms. A lot of things could come from the change in bottom composition.

Was the 40 foot area a deeper hole? Or a basin?

[kobb]

Matt

they were in 40ft of water, but about 8-12 feet off bottom. It was in a small 40ft basin just off the edge of a fairly sharp break. I thought it would have been a good spot because a week before I limited out in a 40 ft hole not very far from that spot.

Kobb

[CrappieJohn]

There are a ton of factors that will put the fish over that 40 water. Cold fronts will do it, periods of stable warm weather will do it, time of the winter season can do it. And more.

If the water is stained or colored good, light penetration can be an issue as far as a bug hatch or blood worm activity goes. Many times these creatures are drive by available light and that might mean shallower water pure and simple.

Moon phases can contribute to a here today, gone tomorrow sort of bite.

Sunday there was a new moon. Sunday showed us a changing weather pattern with a cold front right behind it. The day was mostly cloudy. When things get inky like that, fish are more comfortable moving into the shallower water.

I'd be willing to bet that the last time you were out and did well over that deep water there had been some long term stability to the weather. Those fish hanging out over the deep water then were likely roamers and those fish are eating....they just don't stay in one spot long.

[kobb]

Thanks for the info guys, I think its really gonna help next time I go out there.

kobb