Some folks waste a lot of time fishing over what they think might be crappie. We tend not to look/target for fish, rather we target whatever small bait balls I can find. Where there's bait, there's crappie. If we hit a ball of bait for a bit and nothing happens, we move on to the next. Or, try drifing or trolling to cover water. Then when you get one and you're marking fish or bait, you know you're in the right spot.