Here's a question for everyone. I've been thinking over my past year of crappie fishing (really my first one, starting in about June), and I realized I caught a bunch of little ones. So, my question is, "When you are catching a lot of fish, but mostly little ones, what is the best change to make to catch bigger ones? Is it generally just a bait change, or is it usually location or depth or something else?"

good question, looking forward to hearing some replies.

I am interested in seeing what the "real" fishermen have to say. My thoughts would be to fish deeper to see if the big boys are down there. If that didn't work I would look for something "different".

I have found that the little ones and big ones hang together somewhat. Last week in a creek I was catching little ones one after another. Then I fished a hole in the brush and really "worked" the jig and caught keepers. It seemed all of the keepers came from that one spot using the same technique. I would let the jig fall horizontal and twitch it once a minute I guess and they would nail it.

with most fish, try going deeper ,on luck try different bait,color. somtime you just have to move.

Crappie is a schooling fish, group of fish (size) tend to hang around with comparable size... That doesn't mean that there aren't any big one mixed in with lots of small ones.

Think of it this way, the big ones don't get big by being STUPID and hit just anything. The small ones are most likely the aggressive ones since they don't know any better. After catching a bunch of small ones, if you work the area carefully enough with slower presentation, the big one might be there. Hint: use a heavier and/or bigger jig to drop past the small ones, then work slowly...Although not all the time, but most of the time, the bigger ones are deeper in the same area. At times, the big ones are the one who are hugging deep in the brush pile where you may have caught many small ones hanging on the top or perimeter...

Better option would be: MOVE!!!
There are days when you can't catch many small ones because you have (accidentally or not) located the bigger school of fish...
For example within a creek: If you keep moving you might explore deeper pocket within the creek chanel where the bigger ones are hugging the bottom...

Last but not least...In crappie fishing, there is NO golden rule. Trail and error is the best solution by being on the water. Every situation is different, every body of water is different, and don't forget the weather plays a big part plus water clarity...etc...

I can't cover it all, but hope it gives you some idea....

good answer.
Last Fall, we were catching mostly smaller fish 8-15'.
Moved to 18-22 and caught consistently better fish for months.
I agree, no golden rule.
I agree, move! ... or at least try something different.

This doesn't work all the time, but try going to a bigger bait. Those fishing with the 1/32 or 1/64 oz baits get bit by little ones before a big one has a chance to get it. Then again a really Big Fish might not want to waste time and energy for such a tiny morsel.

As already stated, no golden rule on this. If I'm catching a lot of small fish and I want a bigger one, I move. You may catch a few big fish at that spot, but you'll spend a lot of time to get the few. Some areas are known for certain sizes of fish in general. There are some bush piles I've gone to that always produce 8-10.5" fish and lots of them. I've very seldom caught bigger fish there. Likewise, there are other areas where the odds are good that if you get bit, you'll have a 12-13+" fish. Once you find some of these spots, remember them and try to discern why the bigger fish are there. Keep track of all the bigger fish spots on a given lake and you may find a pattern. Also, pay attention to the time of day bigger fish are at a spot. Generally, I'll catch bigger fish on jigs, except when I don't. July and Aug are tough months and minnows really help. Little fish love minnows. Make yourself fish a lot of areas on a lake. Fish some spots that you think there is no way a fish will be there. Don't keep going to the same spots just because you caught fish there. You'll be surprised how shallow you can catch crappie in the summer. There is no substitute for time on the water.

I agree with fishing deeper but sometimes a couple of feet deeper will produce better fish.

Also, you might try changing colors if using jigs. Small crappie aren't very picky but bigger ones want the right color before they will take it.

Bigger baits = Midsouth 2" tube or Zoom Tiny Fluke. The fluke will catch big crappie if they are there and the smaller ones will pass on this size bait.

Once you get to bottom you can't go any deeper you gotta wear the lil ones out to get to the big ones and when you find a hog there is usually more than one.

Thanks for all the replies! Ya'll are awesome! While the water has been down, I've been going out and marking quite a few spots on my GPS, both by using my depthfinder and just visibly seeing stuff. Some of the spots, I just marked because they looked a little different on my depth finder. In fact, I am still unsure whether there will be fish there, or whether there is much there at all. But Ken, your advice is encouraging. I'm excited about fishing those spots now! Even if just a couple of those spots produce fish (and preferably bigger fish), it is more than I had last year.

I agree with the opinion to move and to try a bigger bait. I tend to catch bigger fish together or smaller fish together. I caught a 16"er last week with a shad in her belly almot 4" long! But also have seen days when theyre all mixed up. Usually when I think Ive got em figured out they change the rules!!