Thread: Crappie relating to structure - what to look for?

Hello All!

I am upgrading some mapping software this year for my fish-finders and want to know some pointers if possible. With the lesser amount of cover in the waters here in central Indiana, what kind of topography features do crappie seem to hold? What should I be looking for on the map?

THank you!

I’’ve fished some of those central Indiana lakes years ago, I use to have success with points, ledges, and underwater stumps and roads for those lakes that flooded roads.


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The steeper the better or is that hit and miss on the ledges?

Originally Posted by titanxt

The steeper the better or is that hit and miss on the ledges?

Finding drop offs on undewater points usually hold fish. Some more then others but always a good place to start. These are typically close contour lines indicating a steep drop.


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A lot of the lakes around here that are lacking wood cover, usually have some type of visible or even deeper vegetation. Those areas always hold fish. Creeks inside of creeks are also prime spots.

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I know this varies quite a bit during the year, but what kind of depths are we talking about? Is there a depth that is too deep. What I mean is, do crappie care that the water is 30-feet deep when they might be hanging out at 12 feet? I ask this to maybe eliminate some of the deep channels. Without noticeable structure, I have had a hard time in locating where crappie hangout in a lot of the larger lakes in Indiana.

Originally Posted by titanxt

I know this varies quite a bit during the year, but what kind of depths are we talking about? Is there a depth that is too deep. What I mean is, do crappie care that the water is 30-feet deep when they might be hanging out at 12 feet? I ask this to maybe eliminate some of the deep channels. Without noticeable structure, I have had a hard time in locating where crappie hangout in a lot of the larger lakes in Indiana.

You will hear you can catch them in a foot to 70 foot. Which is true, I've done both. But contrary to what you read and hear. You can catch crappie relating to some type of structure 8 to 12 foot deep 12 months out of the year.

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Originally Posted by titanxt

I know this varies quite a bit during the year, but what kind of depths are we talking about? Is there a depth that is too deep. What I mean is, do crappie care that the water is 30-feet deep when they might be hanging out at 12 feet? I ask this to maybe eliminate some of the deep channels. Without noticeable structure, I have had a hard time in locating where crappie hangout in a lot of the larger lakes in Indiana.

Depents on if there is a thermocline or current. In the hot summer months with no current to speak of there won't be many sport fish below the thermocline. Now in the cold winter months the fish can be down at the bottom of the lake.


If there is a current in the lake there might be dissolved oxygen down near the lake bottom and the fish can still be deep.

Fish like cover and hang around drop offs, points river bends in a river channel and were there is brush piles or submerged trees.

Things change with the type of lake and the area of the lake that you are fishing along with the time of year.

Oxygen is also a big factor in finding fish deep. As,these lakes and reservoirs were built and flooded, they covered springs up that flow today along creek channels and sometimes at the bottom of rock outcropping was well as the very bottom. I have scuba dived under 12” of ice before in a rock quarry and strip pits at depth of 70’-80’ ft. And on bottom would be a spring just full of every imaginable kind of fish in that body of water. Same in the hottest time of summer in several strip pits, springs on the sides or bottom at deepest depths full of fish of all kinds together, Water temp and oxygen bubbling up with the current of the spring. Even below the thermocline if the spring is found. Use your electronics to find schools of tightly schooled fish if you can. Some of these Live View videos I have seen show blubbles coming up with the fish in them as the guys are running their lures sometimes catching fish. Could be a spring below causing the bubbles of oxygen. Most of the time, if your electronics are showing a thermocline, in the summer, you will find no fish due to water temp and lack of oxygen.

Follow the food and light up and down the water column. The crappie won't be too far from the baitfish. They will also go up and down with the amount of light penetration. They will not go deeper than the oxygenated water (thermocline).

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