Crappies…

Where do you mark crappies when icefishing? Bottom? The middle of the water column? Or right under the ice?

Any of the above. Before the last cold blast i was getting crappies 38fow anywhere from 2 feet off the bottom to about 8 feet below the ice.

There’s no set place where the crappies are going to be, I have caught them at different times anywhere from the bottom all the way up to the bottom of the ice with there fins almost rubbing the bottom of the ice. This is one of the reason electronics are so important in searching for fish.

I tend to follow the higher they are the more active they are. Alway pull up to check a high mark. These fish tend to want very active lures to. Holding still many times will stop and turn them away. Hi crappies are not low sunfish.

I agree guys !! The flowages we fish in Wisc it seems if we’re working the bottom area and a mark comes in high you can bet the house its a crappie and usually very aggressive!!

I would have to agree with that as well. The higher up fish are almost always the ones that are flying up to the jig as fast as the jig is falling. Usually the tighter to the bottom they are the more you have to work for them. But the other big thing I have found is competition really helps the bite. Single fish tend to be able to resist eating better than fish that are with other fish and competing for food. I have had days where unless I see multiple marks together in a hole I won’t even drop I will just keep moving even if they are off the bottom, but every lake and every day is different.