Good question. I had this exact question on my mind yesterday morning. I'm also not experienced enough to give a good answer like the other guys in here.

At my usual place, the crappie have seemed to have done the same thing since January except for one single day. Last week, I caught a female that looked like she was about to pop and some males that had their colors on, but everyone was still very light from being deeper down in the water. On this past Wednesday I caught a big female that had laid all her eggs. All hanging on logs, bushes, tree tops, and any kind of junk I could find down at 4 feet deep. No fish stacked up.

What's strange is that I started fishing for these fish in this area back in November and I was able to consistently catch them at 8 feet deep. They moved up to 4 feet and haven't come any more shallow than that. Maybe the weather and fluctuating water may have something to do with that. I'm not exactly sure. I try to stay out there and keep an eye on them, but they do evade me from time to time!