I'm of the impression that some Crappie tend to stay around the timber all year long & some will venture out and back & up/down the lake. Kinda depends on the lake, too. One thing is for sure, though ... they aren't going to stay "anywhere" where there's no chance of Shad cruising by !! That's the one major factor that Crappie anglers sometimes forget about. If you know the normal movement patterns of the food source, you're going to know where the fish are going to set up their ambush points. I mean, if the Ice Cream Truck passes by your street every day at 10AM & then again at 6PM ... are you going to be on the corner waiting at 2PM ??