I got a hot tip the other day about a hot crappie bite going on a little inland lake, (don't bother asking where at.) I took my dad there tonight and we had a blast!
Growing up in Minnesota, the first thing we got to chase in a boat in the spring was crappies. The fishing we had tonight was every bit as good as any we had out there. It also brought back a flood of fond childhood memories. The scenery was a little different, but the fun and excitement was still there! We kept 25, and released 4 more. Since most of them were in the 11 to 14 inch range, we didn't mind throwing back the 8 to 10 inchers.
The key was finding downed trees along the shore, in at least 3 to 4 feet of water, (check the background in the first couple pics.) The fish were holding tight in the cover. If you could put a nice, 2 inch fathead close to the branches, they'd swim out to get it. Like I said, I'm not going to tell you where we were. Small lakes like that could get fished out in short order if enough people start pounding them. Still, if you know of a lake with crappies and cover like that, (and most up here do,) then know all you need to know to go catch some for yourself.