Lake Arthur crappie?

Anyone willing to share basic advice for catching crappie? I've never targeted them -but thinking about giving it a try w/my son. Is this minnow on a hook under a bobber? Perch spreader jigging? Mr twister cast and retrieve? Should I look for submerged structure in deep water? Any basic crappie help would be appreciated... Mark

If you can find a place on the lake after dark where those dang Byrds aint at feedin' close to shore this time ov yr. use glow sticks. Byrds (man made) are cruising 3/4 ov  the lakes shallows though.
 
crappy

Mark monkey:
I've been doing really well so far this spring just using medium fatheads under a bobber. I've also caught some fishing off bottom with the same kind of minn

you're definitely over thinking it. if the wind is decent I recommend floating the shoreline of your choice that has weedbeds/structure ect...toss a bobber out with a fathead minnow once you catch a fish anchor up and work that area for a set amount of time, if you produce stay in that area if not move on and try the same thing else where. If you are catching small crappie try a larger minnow or jig if your results are not desirable move on to a new location. You will not see crappie packs, like perch packs on erie lol.
 
There are numerous areas down by the 528 launch, as well as working your way up to the 422 area. Trust your judgement and just have fun, there is no exact science to it.

 If you are not familiar with the water go at dawn. For me night is nice.
 
crappy
 
 
 

markmonkey1Since the weedbeds aren't deep, should we look for beds by sight for an area to start at? -Or find structure on the sonar? (We'll launch at 528/422 unless recommended to start elsewhere)

 
The weeds aren't deep. It's a science thing, with how far the light penetrates. Generally speaking, if you are within 100 yards of shore in Arthur and the water is less than 10' deep, there are weeds. Couple different kinds of weeds there, like lilly pads, millfoil and hydrilla. Bass and bluegills LOVE lillypads. Crappie... not so much in my experience. Could also be that LPs are typically in 3' or less water.
 

markmonkey1Is this like Erie perch---look for the boat pack? Or are the crappies schooled in smaller groups throughout lake?

 
Yeah no. I've never seen more than two boats in one spot, like on top of each other outside of night fishing. Seriously, that night fishing thing is crazy. We looked for all those boats (very easy to spot) and then we went somewhere else. If you parked your boat less than 50' from us while we were anchored we'd be like "WTF are you doing?" That and I use a lot of 4 letter curses while fishing. You'd probably flee anyway. :)
 

markmonkey1When we're anchored at a weedbed...would u move if no crappie in say 15 minutes?

 
Eh. I'm more patient than that. Absolutely no action in a spot, not even a nibble? 30 mins we'd leave. That's pretty rare though that you don't at least see something small or some dumb bass. The guys that use a trolling motor and move around almost certainly outfish us. But 4 of 5 trips to Arthur will be windy, and I don't have the patience to be blown all over the lake. When it is windy, we hide. I'd rather catch dink perch throwbacks where it is calm than cast into wind.
 

markmonkey1What's the best time for crappie...Dawn, midday, evening, night? Or doesn't matter?

 
Doesn't matter. The other things matter more, like water temp, wind, barometer, etc.
 

markmonkey1If we 're catching small fish--any advice to get bigger ones ? Bigger minnow? Deeper? Etc?

 
Some guys say that crappie school by size, some say they don't. In my experience, it is pretty random.
 

markmonkey1Am I over complicating this w/these questions????

 
Yep. But that's what you do on a forum. Pretty much the whole point, other than ****ing about stuff.
 

markmonkey1I'm not asking anyone for their honey-hole spots----just want to start out on the right track. I don't want my son to end up hating Lk Arthur since we're getting skunked!

 
There aren't any honey hole spots. There are some techniques that work better if you know where to use them though. We caught most of our fish by numbers and weight within easy sight of one of the launches. In spots that other people were like "why the heck are they fishing there?" And we don't cover very much of a big lake.
Good luck out there.

Thanks for all the advice!
I'm just south of butler - I'd like to focus on learning Lake Arthur so I have a close place when I only have a few hours to get out. :)