Habitat and Food
Crappies are part of the sunfish family and they have a very small mouth, which is why it is sometimes so hard to feel when they take the bait. Find any kind of structure such as weeds, brush, submerged trees, rocks and drop offs and you will usually find crappie. They are more drawn to these areas than any other species. However, if you are fishing in an area where there are not a lot of structures you can also find them grouped together underneath baitfish.

When crappies are young they feed mainly off of insects but as they grow they will begin to eat minnows, crustaceans, maggots, worms and finally their main diet as they become adults will consist of baitfish. Just like many other species crappie will begin looking for a place to nest and get ready for spawning season in the early spring. Spawning begins in the spring and will last through to the early part of summer. Usually, the crappie will build their nest in groups that are rather close together.

When spawning season ends the crappie will began to spread out and the groups will be fewer in number but they can still be found around weeds and brush. As fall and winter arrives the crappie will begin to form tighter groups again and can be found at basically the same level throughout the lake. The colder the water the deeper they can normally be found.

Since the crappie can be found at the same water level learning how to drop your line to the same depth will be very beneficial. Practice using count-down techniques or find a way to mark your line so you will be able to reach the same depth each time you move to a new spot. If you are having trouble finding the right depth, then you may want to consider investing in a fish finder to help you locate them faster.
 

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