Let's talk creek channels

I have never intentionally fished creek channels, so I have a question.
We know that in the late fall the crappie will move toward the creek channels for their winter home. What I don't really know is the definition of creek channel as it applies to crappie.
For example, on my favorite lake, one lone creek was dammed to create the lake of 900 acres. At most areas the creek channel is only 4 ft to 6 ft deeper than the surrounding area. Do you consider this good enough to hold winter crappie or even consider it a as a creek channel? :dono

First off, Happy Thanksgiving. I hope that everything reading this has the best day ever and gets along with everyone as we gather.
About creek channels, my experience is somewhat limited. I think of them in two ways. Temperature and current. We all know that fish in general can do strange things when they set up in their comfort zone. I believe that’s why they hang out between say 3 and five feet and not above or below. They can be scattered when this happens, unless they’re chasing balls of Shad. Bait changes everything. But a ditch can also offer cover from current. This is important cuz fish are also lazy. They can tuck down into a ditch and have the current go right over or around them, also giving them and ambush advantage.
Ditches also have sharp ledges sometimes. I know of one that doesn’t drop a foot or eighteen inches and the fish will sometimes orient themselves along it and a jig that’s retrieved from shallow to deep slowly dropping over that ledges has little chance of not being bit.
Markers are widely known as boat attractors but they can help you get back to where they’re sitting. Using small black or brown ones makes them hard for others to see. So well I lose them myself and have to look hard to find em.
Just my thoughts and I hope it helps get you going in the right direction.

A creek channel does not have to be deep to be used by crappie. Creek channels are use like highways by gamefish. The depth allows them to find the most comfortable temperature for them. Find one with a ledge and some timber and you will have a honey hole for years to come. I do not have alot of experience fishing creek channels but we have a new lake that is choke filled with timber. Fishing bridges and the creek channel is the only way to get to the fish this time of year. I'm gonna have to really dial in on my electronics and learn how to fish them efficiently.

any depth fluctuations of even a few feet that run a while in length could be productive , keep in mind this though , the "channel" itself rarely holds the large numbers of fish , the edges of said channel are typically the best places for predators to set up , one thing for certain they do like to travel in them ...
if the water body has very little cover , the channel will likely hold a bunch of fish in the colder months

I fish a similar lake - almost 900 acres, most of it 10 feet deep or less. Spots just 2-3 feet deeper can be enough to hold fish.