VERTICAL STUCTURE
Because crappie move up and down in the water column with every weather change during early spring, some of the best places to hone in on them consistently are around vertical structures, such as bridge pilings, dock posts and flooded trees.

Unless the water is ultraclear or the crappie are really shallow, anglers typically can pull right up to these structures, look for fish on the electronic graph, measure baits down to the crappie and begin catching fish. Fish may all be on the structures' shady side, the sunny side or the down-current side, but once you find the right depth and how the fish are orienting to the cover, you can often move quickly from one piling or tree to the next and continue catching crappie.

If the water is too clear for positioning the boat directly overhead without spooking the fish, anglers can achieve a vertical-type presentation with a cast by adding a slip-bobber to the line. In those situations, finding the ideal depth sometimes requires experimentation by moving the stopper up and down the line.

LESS IS MORE
Crappie tend not to like jigs that are doing a lot of dancing, especially during early spring. You need to minimize movements, lifting the rod tip only occasionally and limiting your action to gentle twitches. It's no coincidence that crappie commonly strike when fishermen are pouring coffee or have their hands otherwise tied up. Some days, in fact, the best way to keep from overworking baits is to put rods in holders.

For the same reason, tube-style bodies or paddle-tailed grubs tend to work better than curlytails early in the spring. A curly-tailed grub sees to have a little too much wiggle for a crappie's tastes.

Along with favoring light action, crappie tend to be light biters. Often, all an angler feels is a gentle tap. Some days, most fish hook themselves, but more often, anglers need to respond with a sharp snap of the wrist.

Finally, when a fish does hit, you should attempt to land the fish with the rod, not turning the reel handle, if the depth you're fishing allows. That lets you return your next offering to the exact same depth -- where another fish is apt to be waiting.