A newbie question - Crappie fishing

Hey fellow 'yakkers,

I've been kayak fishing for about 12 or 13 years now.  I've been on sleigh rides with stripers at Mendo, I've been off-shore for many species down here in socal, trout fishing in the Sierras and I caught my first big mouth bass at Clear Lake.  I've been on adventures big and small all based on a volleyball trip 16 or 17 years ago with a bunch of people that were or would become the best friends I have in the world (JT, Terry (Hydrospider), Klauda, and later Rob). 

From that volleyball tournament in Lone Pine CA (Hydro hit a ball on the left and nearly took the head off a spectator in the top row)(1000s more stories exist) have come the best fishing (and volleyball) adventures anyone could ask for.  (if you ever meet JT, ask him about how he and klauda finished second to me and Hydro (playing doubles) at the 4-man in central cal)(he loves to tell that story) 

All this is to lead into the fact that the best friends I've made in my life have led me into the adventures I take now.  The CSBA in May 2008 at Mendo was my first Striper from my yak and my PR largemouth (7.5lbs on a "secret agent"). 

The new adventure I'd like to learn about now is Crappie fishing.

I know Clear Lake has a nice Crappie fishery and I'll take at least one trip and hopefully more to that lovely piece of water this year.

I've enjoyed every new adventure big and small and I don't want to eliminate any of the fishing I do now.  I'll just call this diversification.

Are there any other lakes in the north that I can try?  (Hydrospider will know but I'd appreciate any info on the topic)

Are there kayak specific tactics that will help me score?

Times of year?

Water or weather patterns?

Lures or live bait?

I live in San Diego, J in la la land, Klauda in Oregon, T, Rob and Bill in the north and I want to be able to out fish them anywhere we might go 

Thanks for any help and I hope to meet some of you on future adventures.

Shirkus (azteckayak) from down south

Reading a post from "beef shirky" titled "newbie" will always strike me as odd. Newb to NCKA I guess but a definate vet to fishing out of kayaks. We started in 1996 fishing tandem kayaks with angler in the front and the paddler in the back in the high seirra.
Got some bad news reguarding the crappie up here at "the lake". 2 or 3 years ago we had a massive crappie die off. Huge silver platters were floating everywhere, much like this years carp catastrophy. Since then they have been pretty much a no show.
Some recent reports are saying that a few schools can be located in the usual haunts but the bite is off.
I know that the regular crappie hunters use small minnows and even smaller white jigs with ultralite gear.
Last crappie that I witnessed caught was Fishunter and that was last year or maybe the year before that?
I think X and HB may know how to find them on the delta but I havnt seen many crappie reports here.

I never fish for them but I pick up a few nice slabs at Lake Sonoma in the spring when I'm trolling a Shadrap. Most caught in the flats near the Water Ski area up the Warm Springs Arm. The store on Dry Creek Rd sells a lot of crappie Minnows you might give them a call.
http://www.dcgstore.com/

I have seen quite a few guys nailing smaller crappies from the docks and Marinas in the delta.  I think that any dock with 13-20 foot depth under it has potenial for crappies.  They look to be using small minnows and like Hydro said small white or chartruse crappie jigs on light line.  Winter is the best time.  I have caught a couple in the delta on crankbaits while bass fishing.

Good luck in your adventures.

HobieBlue

Ive slaughtered the slabs up in Whiskeytown lake in the Redding area A while ago using wedding rings with A piece of crawler trailing.

In the South Bay, I've caught crappie at Coyote, Anderson, Uvas, and Chesbro. I usually catch them on crawlers under a bobber or tiny maribou jigs. But small minnows under a slip bobber w/b ideal.
Good luck! And great read, too.

Lake Oroville has some Huge crappie. We go up there bass fishing and have caught a couple monster crappies using 4'' black centered worms with green rings around it with a split shot about a foot above. GOOD LUCK on your trips

I believe there is a fine crappie lake just east of you in SD ..."Davis"...??? Check out ... crappie.com ...more tips and tricks than you shake a cane pole and a bobber at.

Gue

If I were you I would look deep right now for them 24 to 40 ft in the dead of winter. In the spring and fall there shallow spawning and summer there 20 to 30 to get out of the heat. I would try coves and near docks. The marinas always have them excpecially in the sping and summer months. But thats my two sents from years of fishing them from a boat not a kayak. Plan on targeting in the next month or two up here in the central coast.