Would you start here?

I’ll be fishing for gills a crappies. The water is very cLear and I’ll be locating them with the flasher and fishing with the camera.

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I’d be more curious of the big 45 foot flat on the NW corner. Work my way up each depth shelf towards the west. On that inside turn.

I agree with JD

Looks like my lake. So when the gills move out from 7-8′ I might know where to look for more fish now.

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JD Winston wrote:

I’d be more curious of the big 45 foot flat on the NW corner. Work my way up each depth shelf towards the west. On that inside turn.

This. Also, I would drill holes in that flat, and zig-zag my way up that shelf.

In my experience that basin is too deep for crappies. I would look for flats or holes in the 30′ range.

elk_addict wrote:

In my experience that basin is too deep for crappies. I would look for flats or holes in the 30′ range.

In general, I agree with you Elk. However, I have found these variances in depth to be somewhat relative to the overall makeup to the lake. I picked that spot as a starting point as we can see this is the area with the largest flat…meaning the best and most plentiful bug hatch location on the lake.

Then adjacent to it is another area that somewhat gradually tapers up to the larger of the shallower flats the lake has to offer. I suspect you are right assuming that the crappies will not be in 45 foot at the bottom, but I ‘m thinking they will suspend here in 20 foot quite nicely. I really didn’t consider the sunfish too much and focused on the crappies for my initial advice. My hope for this spot would to find weeds in the shallow portion of the flat on top that will hold the sunnies. But that would depend on the makeup of the bottom here. Good chances it is weedy up there considering it has enough of a gradual taper.

All that being said, I’d still want to try it as it holds some promise theoretically.

I agree with your thoughts JD, the flat to the northwest and the inside turn to the east all look promising. I was commenting on the marks he had on the sharp break at the hole, not a spot I would typically fish, but an expert I am not.

I wish I could fine the crappies on a lake every time out, unfortunately some days I find them and feel my confidence return and other days I get skunked, and feel mighty humble.

Hah, I understand you now Elk. Same here on finding those little roving buggers. All we can do on new water is make educated guesses and hope. Honest as Abe, I cannot get my head around guys drilling over a hundred holes in a day looking. I agree with the strategy but who has that kind of energy? lol I’m tapped out at 30-40 holes a day. If I don’t find them in that many holes, I just break out the sausages and beans and have a great meal on the ice and enjoy the time out.

Thanks for your thoughts guys. I’m gonna get out there on Saturday or Sunday. If I have success I’ll post some pics.

The yellow squiggle or the red squares? The squiggle looks like a decent walleye spot, eh? The squares too maybe. Not sure about crappies. I don’t chase em, personally. Just gills, eyes, and pike for me. But, I also don’t catch fish all the time like our buddies James and Joel & Co. …and have a hard time deciphering good fish territory on a topo map. Maybe I’ll get there some day.

Yes, the yellow line. No walleyes in this lake that I know of.