yes snake, I have caught crappie that were seemingly right on the top of the water. Sometimes as soon as my jig hits the water it gets nailed before it falls more than a foot. Sometimes I will be fishing a float n jig and they will just hit it by it just sitting out in the water. You never know about those crappie. It is something different at different times. I totally agree with you on them being there or not. Usually if they are there and biting I will know it fairly quickly. I always tell people that you can not catch fish if they are not there. Sometimes when the water is extremely cold they might be there and not bite til the water warms a little, but like you said, most of the time you will catch something if they are there.