Ain't no "pro" by any stretch of the imagination .... but, what I do is use accumulated info from my experiences, reports from other reputable sources, what I know about the habits of the fish (under the prevailing conditions), and experiment along the way to find new/different ways to fool them into biting my offerings.

The way I see it, "Science" just tells me the why of their "behavior" ... in general. They are the same fish, regardless of what body of water they reside in .... BUT, they can act/react quite differently (at times) in different bodies of water & sometimes even in different parts of the same body of water. And like any sport, you "study & practice" in order to get better productivity from your efforts when you put those efforts to the test.

It's nice to catch a limit, or catch a huge fish (or both) ... but, for me it's not the reason I go ... and if I don't catch anything (or anything worth bringing home), I still had fun & probably learned a little something along the way. And I also honored my Grandparents (my Crappie fishing mentors), my Mother and step-father (avid Crappie anglers), and my late fishing buddy ... by carrying on the tradition.