Hi guys - my previous years of crappie fishing usually consisted of a minnow under a bobber. Sometimes a small crank bait or roadrunner.

My local lake was created by putting a dam across an old creek for flood control. I’ve been fishing, fairly successfully, with a jig under a bobber, letting the wind bounce it over to the tree trunks and downed trees. In about 8’ of water. Bit shallower on occasion.

Now that it’s warming up, the crappie have seemed to move into deeper water. Around 15’ or so.

My old boat is a small 12’ jon boat. Very hard to fish long rods out of. Unless I want to get wet. Lol. Tough to stand up in safely. Casting a lure is tough to do cause of the heavy cover along the old creek channel. I lose a fair amount of tackle as it is due to snags.

I have watched the videos on YouTube of guys casting jigs and using a slow retrieve. I could probably get away with that if I stick to just the creek channel. Are you guys just casting the jig out and slowly retrieving it? How do you control your depth, or not worry about it as during the retrieve it’s going to go thru the strike zone anyways.

Or, should I perhaps try a 10 or 11 foot rod, utilize a slip float, and fish my jig under that at around 15’ or wherever I find the fish holding? That seems to be about the only way I can get next to cover along side the old creek bed. I think I could get away reeling in the small bobber stop when I reel in a fish.

Perhaps use both methods? I dunno the best approach to use for the deeper water with heavy cover.

Very sorry for a very long winded question on something that maybe should be obvious.

Thanks!

Joe