shallow or still holding deep?

[south_metro_fish]

I was almost on the other end of the lake from where we first found them. We have been unable to locate them any where by where we were finding them before. Another thing too was it almost seemed like they were moving out before the cold front hit. We had good crappies first then the bluegills turned on and then with in a week of the bluegills turning on they all seemed to be thinning out. This happen I am thinking around a week before the cold front moved in. We could still mark and get a few fish but not that many and after the cold front pretty much non existent witch your explanation would explain. But what would cause them to thin out before the cold front?

Moving on to bait if we do find a school suspended in around 15 to 20 feet I would assume a slip bobber with a small jig and a minnow would work the best but what are some other rigs and baits to try. Would a plain hook instead of a jig work better? Is there any plastics that work well to imitate minnows, I have a few but nothing that I think works well enough to get them to bite. Would this be the a good time to through a small cast master? Just looking for a little advise never fished much this early in the season.

[ozzie]

I have used my ice fishing gear in the early open water esp. when they are suspended over deeper water but a slip bobber set-up is also a good approach......with the ice gear I try to use a jigging spoon tipped with a waxie and try to keep it verticle.....on calm days I do this with the vexilar and it is just like jigging through the ice!!!

I have noticed when the sunnies come thick into a bay that the crappies are still there but just not as aggressive to the bait as the sunnies are and it takes putting the bait right in front of theie nose to get them to get the bait first.......Good Luck

[-JAKE-]

I was catching crappies on small swimbaits near a creek channel mouth or up the creek a way in about 1 to 1.5' on memorial weekend at lake brophy. They seemed to be very active to feed on whatever came their way.

[kittycatcher16-2]

fish are defenately up in the reeds