New guy looking for some good advice/opinions

Hello everyone, my name is jeremy and i just wanted to introduce myself. Im 25 and a just recently got into fishing. Well i purchased a little jon boat and some cheap rod and reels. i started off with the good ol zebco 33. Well since then i have upgraded to some pfleuger president spincast reel. Yes some ppl may laugh but i find spincast much less frusterating to use and its what im confident and comfortable with. and i have it paired up with a medium gander mt vortex rod. Now i really like my pfleuger spincast reel its got a really smooth retrieve and a decent drag system. I use 6lb mr crappie hi vis line. My question is what rod would you recomend to pair up with my reel. i have been looking at st croix rods but there just a little out of my price range. i was thinking of going with a light power fast action one piece rod for my setup. i really dont like the big long rods. i would like my rod to be 6 foot. thats the length im most comfortable with. My next question would be about fish finders. i have been doing some research on them as well. right now i have a cheap hummingbird pirhana max 150 and i think its really holding me back. So any advice or suggestions on a fish finder under 200 would be appreciated. i dont need a model with gps. One last question, what are some of your most productive lures/jigs in the winter. and what technique do you use or how do you fish them. i live in indiana and i fish eagle creek almost every weekend. and right now its cold out. Its supposed to be 38 degrees tomorrow and im braving the cold and goin out. Those crappie have me hooked. but anyways any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

First off Welcome to Crappie.com, you found the right place to find info about crappie and crappie fishing. Sounds like you are well on your way with your gear and boat. as for rods you may want to go with a med/action rod as they will be a good all around rod for different weights you may want to fish with. You have to find a rod that you like using if it is a $10 rod or a $200 rod. You will find that crappie fisherman doesn't care or think that you need to have the best gear to be a good fisherman. For the $200 you can find a good depth finder that will show you what you need to see, look at the Lowrance 4x DSI. It is in your price range and they will work very well. Now for lures/jigs,,,,,, I'm not sure will ever have all you want to use or try, I'm always trying new and different lures/jigs. As for winter fishing I tend to go small and use jigs with not a lot movement but there are others that will use 3'' lures and both have good catches. You see this goes right back to you never have enough LOL. You can start off with a mix of jigheads in 1/64, 1/32, 1/16 and 1/8. These can be plain heads or painted in the base colors of black, white, chartreuse, orange, pink, yellow and blue and the same colors in 1'' to 2 1/2'' plastics. Curly tail jigs, baby shads and sliders will be a good starting point. Some tied jigs in hackle, marabou, squirrel tail and kip tail, a few colors of the same will work. You will find lures/jigs that you like better than other but have enough colors and sizes so you can change jighead sizes and lure colors if needed to find what works on a given day. Same with tied jigs, different weights or colors can make a difference in catching or not catching. Roadrunner jigs are great jigs to use also along with other spinner jigs.

Well I hope I didn't overload you but give you enough info to help, good fishing
Ronnie aka STUMP HUNTER

Thanks for reply and suggestion on fish finder. That's the model I was leaning towards. As far as a rod goes I want something a little more sensitive than a medium power. So does anyone have anymore suggestions for me o
on how to fish cold water. Do you just do a super slow retrieve or do you just kinda jig it like you would for bass. Any and all info appreciated. Trying to learn all I can thanks

Welcome from Mississippi. You will probably get lots more answers if you ask your questions on the Main Crappie forum

Welcome aboard from Northern Kentucky!

Welcome from Michigan.

:welcomefrom va

Welcome from SW Ohio. Fish Brookville a lot and have been on eagle creek a couple times but a bit long to be a regular trip.
Longer rods are IMO the best thing for crappie fishing. Do some web searches and you will be amazed at what is out there, As far as FF wait a bit as Humminbird has a new line coming out shortly that look like the next best thing for fishing on a budget

Welcome Aboard from Southwest Ms

Welcome from Pickwick South! :fish

welcome from western kentucky