i have crappie fished last year and have caught a few.does this mean there is a small amount of fish in the pond.i thought that crappie reproduce really fast. or maybe im doing something wrong.

Crappie fishing is a specialized field. If you want to catch large numbers consistently, you will have to learn their seasonal habits. Crappie are gregarious, meaning they travel in large shools, and for most of the year, can cover great distances on a lake. They will ususally relate to some kind of structure in their migrations, and use the same routes year after year. Catching them by chance is haphazard, at best. For a novice, the best time to crappie fish is during the spring spawn. All that is necesary to catch them is to locate the spawning grounds, and drop any minnow or jig close to them. Ask anyone around where you plan to fish, and someone will know where the best spawing areas are. If you see many anglers on shore in a certain area in March or April, chances are good they are catching crappie. This is the only time of year many people bother to fish for them. After the spawn, crappie get moody, move to deeper water, and can be difficult to find, and harder to catch. This requires a boat, special equipment and tactics. This is the toughest crappie fishing of the year. In the fall, crappie move to the mid-depths and become active again. To be successful, it often only necesary to locate the schools. In winter, crappie will look for warmer water. They will bite, but they will not move very far to take a bait, so it must be placed almost right in front of them, at the correct depth. In spring, the cycle starts all over. Happy Fishing!