Do crappie live everywhere?

Like yesterday, I put in the river and fish about 2 miles of river. It all looks so good or i would not fish it. In the past, I always drove past this stretch of river to get to another part, because i have tried it without success or effort. I always start a little farther than where i ended yesterday and have generally always picked up some fish. In my mind, I want to say, well, fish dont live in that 2 miles of river like they live farther down the river. Blaspheme! maybe i just like to burn more gas or get a better boating experience. Do you guys find this true? There are better sections of the river than others? One side of the river better than another. I understand where the river bends, but what about when you have 3/4 mile straight shot. The lake is the same way. Seems that we always go to certain area. Dont fish live everywhere? Are there not large schools between the ramp and our favorite spot? Maybe we just need to look harder or make likable habitat in that area? Example, If fish are biting on ledges in 15 FOW around brush, why can I not go to another random place that looks just like that, make so habitat and catch fish. Providing I see bait and fish there on the graph. All the fish can not just be living around 2% of the standing timber and lining the riprap like cord wood. What are your thoughts about where fish live, and why they live there vs other places on the lake?

I have NO answer to that question Ledge,

I have just always heard that 90% of fish are caught by 10% of the fisherman and that 90% of the fish live in 10% of the water.

I must be spending too much time fishing the 90% water! Seriously, I don't have a clue......

Take this for what it is worth as one man's observations from one lake: Just because an area looks identical to one of your honey holes, that doesn't mean it is identical.

There are a lot of factors that go into making a hot spot where I fish: depth, structure, cover, location in relation to the prevailing wind, exposure to sunlight, proximity to travel routes from deeper water, water clarity, etc. If any of these differ significantly from my proven honey holes, then the new site won't be nearly as productive.

I know what you mean ledge. I fish lots of new lakes and rivers. Often times the first place I fish is the best place. I pull up, start yanking em out of the water and think I found my new favorite lake. After some exploration I find out I found a honey hole and not a great lake. I get how that happens in the spring in spawning and staging areas, I get it in the winter when they school up real thick. Its the other 8 months out of the year that makes me scratch my head.

I think the crappie move more than we think using river channels heavily like expressways. They take an off ramp and grab a meal. Then later they get back on the expressway. One day they are stacked in a cove on wood. The next there is no sign any where in that cove of them. I think they eat everyday, somewhere. It is the where and what they want and being on the lake at the right time in the right spot. One day hand tied jigs, the next day shad, the next day plastics. Reminds me of finicky cats. Anything short of a telemetry tagging study will leave us here wondering what can we do to improve the chances of filling the live well. Clearly some of our pros do a better job of loading a live well and they too have off days. That must be why is is called fishing versus scooping! lol

I believe there are times when it seems like they do live everywhere. I also know they are like other birds, animals, or even people. It doesn't matter if you build a new burger shack a few hundred yards from whataburger and it may be called watsonburger, I know its different and im going to go with the proven winner 90% of the time but 10% of the time whataburger may have to long a line and you can catch me on french fry in a new brush pile.

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Originally Posted by The Professional

I believe there are times when it seems like they do live everywhere. I also know they are like other birds, animals, or even people. It doesn't matter if you build a new burger shack a few hundred yards from whataburger and it may be called watsonburger, I know its different and im going to go with the proven winner 90% of the time but 10% of the time whataburger may have to long a line and you can catch me on french fry in a new brush pile.

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I don't know if I want to go fishing now, or go get a burger and fries. I guess it doesn't help to read this right at lunch time when I'm hungry.

I've wondered the same thing. Why what appears to be a great area doesn't pan out and why some other area does. In the lake I fish I pretty much cover 3 spots and that's where I get bites. I've fished other areas but can't seem to find fish elsewhere. Then a local guy who's been fishing that lake all his life shows me there are 4 other areas that he fishes successfully just a different time of year. I don't know why it's like that, and if you really knew what and where you'd be a very, very wealthy man or a very busy guide.