How deep are crappie right now?

You're likely to find the crappie hanging out in waters 6 to 12 feet deep and remember, finding structure is not as important as finding food for the crappie.
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How deep should you fish for crappie?

Crappie like to spawn in areas of shallow water, usually around 2-to-4 feet deep, with cover such as brush, flooded timber or weeds, and with easy access to deeper water. In areas with murky water and thick cover, I have sometimes found them nearly on the bank.
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What is the best month to catch crappie?

The best time of year to catch crappie is during the spawning season which takes place from February-May. During the spawn, both male and female crappie move from deep locations into shallow and concentrated spawning areas. This makes them very easy to target, as they are actively feeding and defending their nests.
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How deep is too deep for crappie?

The depth that they spawn will depend on the water clarity. If there is stained or muddy water, the crappie will likely spawn in shallow water areas of 1 to 2 feet. In clear water, the crappie may be in deeper water areas of 20 feet or more.
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Are crappie in deep or shallow water?

They will slowly move to shallower water when the water temps reaches around the 50-55 degree range. Spawning crappie will usually be in shallow water between 1 and 8 feet deep when water temperatures rise to 55 degrees plus.
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Crappie Location vs. Weather and Water Temperature



Where can I find deep water crappie?

Finding deep water crappie requires good electronics. You can cover 70-80 feet on each side of the boat, find a depth range of 18-25 feet and set your boat right on top of that spot, and check the imaging for fish. To find these locations, look for creek channels and drops and where they may intersect.
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Where do crappie go in shallow lakes?

Crappie can amaze you, in shallow lakes they will stay in the same exact spot year round until the water drops. I have caught crappie around docks and latters and pads that they spawned on earlier and I will catch them on a 100 degree july day (but there are less amounts shallow then deep.)
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How do you catch big crappie instead of the little ones?

5 Strategies to Catch Big Early-Season Crappies
  1. Fish Open Water, Too. Cold-water crappies often hold on deep cover and structure, making them difficult to pinpoint. ...
  2. Toss Giant Jigs. ...
  3. Try Bass-Size Lures. ...
  4. Tap the Tailwaters. ...
  5. Fish the Storms.
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What is the best time of day to fish for crappie?

The best time to fish for crappie is at early dawn and dusk. But during the colder months it can be at the warmest time of day in the afternoon. Crappie generally feed most actively in low light, so this leaves the night as another great time to catch them as well if you have the opportunity.
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How deep should I fish for crappie in winter?

A favorite cold-water depth for catching crappies in very late winter might be 2 feet, or the 18- to 25-foot zone. The water is still cold, but occasional warm spells, mixed with longer daylight hours, can cause baitfish, and therefore crappies, to start moving up in depth.
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Why do crappie stop biting?

Crappie may stop biting for these 4 reasons: 1. They were spooked by the angler or another predator, 2. They followed their food source elsewhere, 3. They are moving in relation to cold or hot weather, 4.
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Can you catch crappie in the middle of the day?

Can you catch crappie during the day? Crappie will bite at any time of the day but during the middle part of the day, crappie will be tucked in very tight to cover or far under docks and will become sluggish in the hotter water. You can still get them to bite but you need to put the bait right on them.
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What color crappie looks best?

Orange-white is good at times, but all-white is not so good. In stained water, low light, all-brown, brown-orange, black-lime and all-black have been consistent performers for my best crappie action. In stained water with a heavy algae bloom, the best colors are chartreuse and orange.
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How deep should a crappie pond be?

Before introducing crappie, be sure your pond will be clear most of the time. This means you should be able to see a light-colored object in 18 to 24 inches of water, except for a few days following heavy rainfall and runoff.
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How do you attract crappie?

There are several methods you can use to attract crappie.
  1. Use Fish Lights. One of the easiest ways to attract fish to your dock is by adding lights. ...
  2. Provide Them Cover. ...
  3. Attract Shad and other small bait fish. ...
  4. Provide Shade In Summer. ...
  5. Melt the Ice in Winter.
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What are the best conditions to catch crappie?

Crappie are attracted to woody cover regardless of the time of year. A good rule of thumb is to fish shallow during spring and fall, then fish deep during summer and winter.
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How do you attract crappie at night?

Jigs and minnows are the best crappie baits, day and night. But at times it pays to vary the menu for discriminating nighttime diners. If crappie are feeding on shad attracted to your lights, shad may outproduce minnows.
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How old is a 14 inch crappie?

At fourteen inches, the typical black crappie weighs 1.7 pounds and will be 14.3 years old. A 14-inch white crappie will be 1.4 pounds and 9.1 years old.
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Where can I find the biggest crappie?

Top here is Grenada Lake, a shallow, 36,000-acre Corps of Engineers impoundment 82 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee on I-55. It produces more trophy crappie than any other fishery in the country. Big fish are so common the local tourism board has nicknamed the lake “Home of the 3-Pound Crappie.”
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What water temp do crappie move up?

The best water temperature for crappie fishing is between 68 °F to 72 °F when the crappie spawn and post-spawn feed period seems to be at its highest point. This means the northern areas of the country can see this peak around early June while the southern areas can see it as early as early March.
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Will crappie take over a lake?

Your lake is not big enough

The size and depth of the pond or lake has less to do with crappie success than the structure of the existing fish population and how the crappie were stocked. Crappie are often introduced into new ponds or lakes by the owner or some of the owner's “friends” as adult fish.
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