Hi, all. I have been fishing a shallow creek that feeds into the mississippi. I’m fishing 2 to 3 fow for crappies. I can see the slabs swimming in but they won’t bite. The locals I have seen catching fish are using 4 inch holes and they claim that’s the key. It sounds reasonable so I took a foam hole cover and cut a 4 inch hole in it. I caught a few gills this way but still no luck on the crappies. Anyone have some tips?
On Roam Pond (Southeast Wi.) in the shallows I would leave the slush in the hole. I made a small area that I was able to drop my jig through. It worked there. Maybe it can help you in this situation.
The hole size thing IMO can be alleviated by keeping a low profile or backing away from your hole.
The locals are not telling you the true “secret” 
If you can determine exactly, and I mean exactly what they are doing, then copy it!
I’ve sat next to guys outfishing me 10-1 and the only difference was how I was hooking the bait. Same color jig/hook, same line size, yada yada.
The differences are often that subtle.
Good luck. 
Use a long rod. 6 – 8 footer.
-J.
Quote:
Use a long rod. 6 – 8 footer.
-J.
I used this idea to get a better hookset after many misses it may sound funny but it worked great!
What you need is to keep the hole dark or shadowed like the ice around you. A long rod can help in keeping you back from the hole as well as getting a better hook set-however you aren’t getting a bite…I even sometimes lay right over the hole-look down there and see them bite.
If the ice is thin enough use a chisel-I did this a few times to make a tapered hole. Again learn to shade the hole from light above. Fish will shy away from these un-natural light spots in the ice.
Also try using a very agressive jig pattern. Not jigging high but a frantic 2″ jigging, sometimes this can trigger them.
Hope you can catch a few-and what is wrong with doing what the other guy is doing? 
He’s eating fresh fish and getting a pole bend! 
Good Luck
When fishing that shallow of water, there are many factors. Noise will turn the fish off. How you are presenting your bait. How deep or shallow you are fishing. And if you have your head looking into the hole it will spook the fish. I fish the same water you are talking about. One person will limit out and the next guy gets blanked all because of what I said.
i have found that to be true as well
comes down to presentation, I’ve found out that thin ice shallow water and loud strings of profanity don’t produce. 
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