Thread: Wintertime Pattern? Help please

Could someone explain to me how I should target wintertime crappie? I'm fairly lost and I'm just about done with trout fishing about so I'd like to learn this.

Is it true that they hold deeper? That's about what I thought I know Any help would be much appreciated. The lake I'll be fishing is not very deep, average of about 15-18ft with some 25ft spots and it's a small lake (Crowder Lake)

If there is limited deep water try that first. Use your electronics, you should be able to see the schools of crappie easily in winter. I like inside channel bends esp if they have cover. Ledges also hold fish. What depth they will hold varies lake to lake and situation to situation, but for the most part fish deeper in winter, 15-20 deep. The fish may be suspended at those depths even in 50 feet of water if there is a ledge trees or other cover nearby. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Fishers

If there is limited deep water try that first. Use your electronics, you should be able to see the schools of crappie easily in winter. I like inside channel bends esp if they have cover. Ledges also hold fish. What depth they will hold varies lake to lake and situation to situation, but for the most part fish deeper in winter, 15-20 deep. The fish may be suspended at those depths even in 50 feet of water if there is a ledge trees or other cover nearby. Good luck!

Fishers,I appreciate your response cause, I too, have trouble knowing where to look for wintertime crappie. I don't understand by where you mean "inside channel bends". Could you(or anyone else) elaborate a bit about what that means? Thanks

An "Inside channel bend" is just a section of submerged river or creek channel. Where the channel turns there will be an outside section and an inside section. If, for example, you were looking down the channel and the channel swings right, the right side at the bend would be the outside bend the left side would be the inside bend. Just like the inside and the outside of the bend in the letter L.

Fishers, thanks! That helps.

Originally Posted by Fishers

An "Inside channel bend" is just a section of submerged river or creek channel. Where the channel turns there will be an outside section and an inside section. If, for example, you were looking down the channel and the channel swings right, the right side at the bend would be the outside bend the left side would be the inside bend. Just like the inside and the outside of the bend in the letter L.

OK so now I'm confused. Wouldn't the right side of a right turn be the inside? Blue in this case is inside (except in the channel)?

One thing I have found to be very productive in the winter are deep coves just off of a main channel. Usually what I look for is something with about 35 fow. then I just use my electronics to start locating the schools.

Originally Posted by Achiro

OK so now I'm confused. Wouldn't the right side of a right turn be the inside? Blue in this case is inside (except in the channel)?

I apologize Archiro I misstated the left left and right sides. You are correct sir.

Originally Posted by Fishers

I apologize Archiro I misstated the left left and right sides. You are correct sir.

Thanks, just making sure I wasn't missing something. Might explain my difficulties in finding fish but now I don't know what I can use as an excuse.

It all depends on the bait fish. Find the shad and you will find the crappie. Then find the closest structure and that's a magnet. Right now I am fishing the deeper ledges or channel breaks that the shad are close too and finding structure that's close. WOOD, ROCKS,INSIDE BEND OF THE CHANNEL, SHALLOW CREEK COMING INTO THE CHANNEL. You are getting the picture. Good electronics plays a very important part for this time of year when it comes to locating the bait fish and crappie. Good Luck and post your results