Bank fishing in cold water

Hi everybody. It's been awhile since I've posted but I'd like to say thanks for all the help I've gotten here. Got into crappie fishing last year (one of the few from Utah) and had a blast! However, my knowledge is still pretty limited so I've only had success in the spring. I guess my main question is...Is it possible to have success bank fishing in the winter or early spring months? Water temps around here are in the mid 40's but starting to rise. I'm a college student so obviously have no funds for a boat. From what I've read, the fish are in deeper water this time of year so I was wondering if its possible to reach them from shore. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

Taylor; Try fishing on the north side as it will be the first most of the time to warm up. Also most of the time water around a dam will be the deepest and they sometimes have rocks on them that will draw fish. Now if your casting there are ways to cast a little farther by using a adjusting slip cork with a heavier lead using minnows or jigs. Or maybe casting roadrunners in the deeper water and retrieving them very slowly. You will want to fish what ever you decide to use as slow as possible because the crappie this time of year when it is cold are slow to respond and bite. I hope this helped you. Just don't get discouraged as for this time of year I don't catch fish good either. Be safe and good luck fishing :fish

I appreciate the advice scrat. I'll see what I can do!

Don't over look bridges. Most pilings are within casting distance from shore, they have rip rap. They are also a funnel ( on a reservoir) that concentrates fish and what they feed on.

I second bridges.There can (could) be a lot of brush piles around them.

Taylor ... I've stood on the bank at a local lake, during the months of Dec/Jan/Feb, when the daytime highs were barely over 35deg and the water temps were likely in the low to mid 40's ... and fished over a fallen tree that extended into the lake & topped out near the 20ft depth. I caught Crappie casting a 1/16oz jig ... sometimes out over the main branches of the tree about 8-12ft deep, and sometimes right next to the trunk in less than 4' of water (and not more than 6ft from the shoreline). This tree was on the West bank of the lake, and I fished there from just after sunrise til around 10-11am.
I've also walked the creek banks (on this lake) during the pre-spawn period, casting jigs around stumps and along rip-rap banks, when the water was dirtied up from recent rains. Water temps would not have been much above the 50deg range, but the fish were nosing around the wood/rock cover, either looking for something to eat or a potential spawning spot.

Crappie don't necessarily go/stay deep during the cold weather. They're cold blooded, so they're the same temp as the surrounding water ... so they're as comfortable as they're going to be, temperature wise, regardless of water depth (if the majority of the water column is the same temp). Their metabolism will be slowed, so they won't have to eat as often, and when they do eat it won't digest as fast as it would in warmer water ... but, they still eat. Any wood, rock, concrete object will absorb heat faster than the surrounding water, and radiate that heat into the water surrounding it. The fish know that, and they also know that their foodsource also knows that and are attracted to it. They try and stay close to their foodsource, or at least set up around cover they know the foodsource will eventually come to/around.

While the majority of the fish may over-Winter in the depths of the main lake channel, there are some that never leave the creeks or bays that have sufficient depths, cover, and a foodsource that stays (or at least wanders in/out of the area). Black Crappie are especially known for doing this, as well as coming shallow earlier in the season & staying shallow later in the season than most White Crappie normally do.

Look for the concrete bridge pilings, deadfall trees, stumps, and even where a mud bank turns into a rock bank (transition point). Get some weedless 1/32 & 1/16oz jigheads & small plastic bodies in various color combinations and cast them around these objects ... with or without a float is your choice ... and you should pick up a Crappie or two, if not more. The more stained the water, the shallower the fish may be ... but, still try and keep your footsteps light, your shadow off the water's surface, and your casts deliberate & accurate, regardless of the water clarity.

... cp :kewl

If you have Marina slips that you can fish on your local lake don't over look them in the winter even if they are in shallower water but the deeper are more likely.