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Hey guys im new to the forums and new to crappie fishing. I started crappie fishing off of piers in my home lake last summer where i got hooked on the little guys and now i have a boat trying to fish for them but i cant seem to find them or Im just not fishing right. The water temp is around 49 degrees right now and my question is "Where" are the crappie? I have been doing some research and from what i can tell is i need to be looking for some kind of structure in somewhere of 20-30 feet of water is this correct or are the fish shallower in this temperature water? Get me on em guys!

IMHO -
At 49deg's ... I'd start looking for them around brush or fallen trees ... along the Northern shorelines ... mud flats or weed beds ... and in water depths of 12ft or less ... especially on a sunny day, during a warming trend.

Find where the baitfish are spending their time ... and the Crappie won't be far from them. As water temps continue to rise, and breach the 55deg mark, expect them to be in these shallow areas more often & for longer periods. They should be starting to put on the feedbag, in preparation for the spawn ... if not right now, then move out from the known spawning banks & look for creek channels &/or deeper wood cover. They'll be staging & waiting for the temps to get more to their liking.
The simplest method to "finding" them, if you're not sure where they are, is to slow troll/longline with jigs ... starting at the mouth of creeks/coves & working your way back to the shallow flats. Vary the depth you troll over and the depth your jigs run. If no hookups, move to the shoreline & look for stump beds, fallen trees, and cast or jig around them.

... cp :kewl

wow ok so they will be relatively shallow would you fish jigs or live minnows if they are slow?

Personal opinion only........jigs first, minnows second. Less fuss with jigs. Give us your report with pics.

Welcome to Crappie.com - CrappiePappy has it on the nose. Trust your electronics and be safe on the water.

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Originally Posted by Jddadiah

wow ok so they will be relatively shallow would you fish jigs or live minnows if they are slow?

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They "may" be shallow ... depends on what lake, weather trend, water temps, stable or slightly rising levels, etc !! From what I've heard, they've been catching Crappie in ~4' of water at Weiss, over the last few weeks. They're not spawning, they're just taking advantage of the warmer shallows. Bad/cold weather will run them back out, but they'll stay close to wherever the baitfish are ... they know it's almost time, so they're not going to let their food source get out of sight.

If they're found to be scattered along the trail from Winter areas to spawn areas ... try trolling jigs.
Holding on creek channel cover or brush or fallen timber, and actively feeding or schooled up ... jigging, casting, or spider rigging. You can use minnows, or jigs, or jigs tipped with minnows. You just need to use whatever presentation method is best suited for where they are & how deep they are. If they're shallow, they're looking for food. Males may even be looking the territory over for potential nesting sites ... the females will just be feeding, but may also be looking for a staging area close to a spawning bank. If they're old enough to have spawned a time or two over the last couple of years ... they'll generally be using the same spawning areas as before, unless the water is too high or too low when the water temps get right. They will adjust as the water levels change.

It helps to know which Crappie are using that area, too. White Crappie prefer wood cover, warmer water, and dingier water than Black Crappie. Black Crappie prefer weeds/grass, cooler water, and clearer water. Black Crappie will also come shallower, earlier, and stay shallower longer than White Crappie. They will also use wood cover, in the absence of weed growth. White Crappie will spawn as deep as 10' if necessary, and as shallow as 1-2ft with the proper conditions.

Don't overlook all the other docks/piers on the lake, either ... especially those that have wood posts, deep water or a channel or dropoff close, relatively deep water under them, and have the obvious signs of a owner that fishes (minnow buckets/traps, rod holders, rods with bobbers/jigs rigged on them hanging up, etc). Many times the owners will have brush planted under the dock, just outside of the sides of the dock, or within casting range. You may even see ropes or wires tied to the dock frame & hanging into the water ... that's usually a weighted down tree. Find those kind of docks, and learn to shoot your jig up under them, and you'll occasionally find a school of Crappie hiding in there !!

.... cp :kewl

Also don't forget to look and see if you can find a fishing report on your lake...