Thread: How deep do you fish in February?

Until the spawn begans at which I fish about 12-18 inches in the brush or close to banks.
Right now---- as one gentleman said--they are stacked about 2 feet from the bottom and close to structure.

Myself I fish for crappie using the tight line system--I place about a 3/8 oz. weight on the very bottom of my line and tie a couple of leads about 4-8 inches in length above that and about 12 inches apart. I usually bait one with a minnow and one with a jig. I like to hit the bottom with the weight and jig upwards until I find them--moving the line slowly upwards and lowering it again.---I repeat this over and over --Most of the time I find them deep.
I use this system with the pole that I hold--others I bait with jigs or minnows or both and place in rod holders. Usually I get hits on the minnows fishing off the bottom up 2-3 cranks.

I fish standing timber but also the underwater structure is thick but can not be seen by the eye.---Watch your depth finder and you can see them stacked up and down underwater structures just right under the surface and down to the bottom, which may be down as far as 15-20 ft.--Depending on the depth.
Lately I have been fishing in about 20-25 ft. depths among standing timber in a channel.
Many guys will tell you that trolling is an important part of fishing if you do not have your own honey holes baited with brush tops. I like to zag--zag from shallow to deep water until I find that great drop off with some underwater timber along side the drop off---Maybe a run off or creek.
I taught myself how to use Goggle maps and research where the creeks are and where they join the lake or river--than at times I just get out and start riding and exploring--you will be amazed at how far you can go up into some of these creeks and just kill the crappie, especially ones with a lot of fallen down trees or brush. Water may be a little shallow in places and at times 15-20 feet deep. Exploring is how these guys catch crappie they know where the Backwater places are.
I hardly ever fish in a big lake--I may explore it a little when calm---Millwood is a very dangerous lake to fish in the main part of it---wind comes from bad angles in that lake and it is very hard to get planed out, plus it is shallow mostly--A few do venture out there.
Most of the guys I know will fish the rivers and Oxbows---Other lakes you may have your own ways--Here in Southern Arkansas it is refreshing to fish some of these wind free sloughs and deal with the gators--Great bream and blue gill fishing also. Knowing the spots is to be a good crappie fisherman.
I was taught this by the best-----THE GUYS ON THIS FORUM---Read and pay attention--you can learn a lot---I did--

I just bought a new stick---steer Tracker---I am going to see how willing I am to get it in brush and maybe scratch it up some---I bought it to fish--- not to use as a photo opt---I imagine by the end of the year it will be scratched a bit---I usually break a couple of rods in the process--I forget to take them out of the rod holders when I need to. Spider rigs probably would not work in the places I fish----maybe one pole or rod---casting is usually a jig loss.
THANKS GUYS--GOD BLESS