Help figuring out a new panfish lake

Checked out a lake this fall and marked a bunch of basin crappies and caught enough for a meal. Went back and did well again. Marked some spots for ice fishing, 25-30fow-I get that you can’t do C&R at that depth. Was pretty sure this would be a community spot, went out yesterday nobody was out there. Found out the lake has just tub sunnies, people were at the far north end and the south by the access. Went out to the spots I marked and saw nothing, dropped some lures down still nothing. Think those schools are still in or by the basin, do you think they were on the bottom, or off of a break? People were fishing ‘gills pretty shallow, those fish will probably shift to the basin later in the winter, right? Got a couple of crappies in 8-10” but not many, guys near me got zero.
Thanks

Is the lake snow covered? Clear or stained water?, does a river come into it or out of it ? I would think the fish are where there is good oxygen and food to eat. It could be you hit it in the fall as some sort of bug hatch was going on out in the deep. If it’s clear water and little snow cover there is probably still live weeds in shallow and the fish are there being fish. Once the weeds start dying the oxygen is depleted and they will have to move out to the deep if they want to survive. If there is a decent inlet of water from a dam or river the oxygen can remain good year round in the shallows around the inlet. Just a few things to think about to help .

Think the secci is about 6 so they might be using the weeds-Thanks Gino

I like to look for feeding flats near the main basin. The best ones for me have been 12-18 feed with soft bottoms. Fish on these flats move with the bait but you can call these fish in.

Thanks Nick!

Watch today’s episode of IDO. Pat McSherry and P.J Vick talk about this.

This open basin is where 360 shines most open basin fish are moving constantly and to keep on them is a tough task with out the right equipment. A few lakes I fish in the summer open basin Crappies it`s a game by it self to stay with them and they wonder around, that is where having SI on the bow makes a huge difference. Mega 360 will be my next boat add on.

Tell me how to do it w/o 360-not droppin a k to get some crappies.
Thanks