Sight , smell , vibration ?
any other theories out there ?

Mo

I believe sight mainly. Crappie move about the lake quite a bit at night and may travel 1/4-1/2 mile looking for food and feeding. I think crappie have a sense of direction like most creatures and can return to known brush piles. Crappie probably have several BPs in memory. Once feeding is over, they head to a favorite spot to hide out and rest.

Of course crappie probably know which BPs have ladies night with 1/2 price drinks and go to that one.

Sonar....like dolphins.

If one crappie follows another crappie to a brush pile that he or she was unaware of, does that make him a potlicker?

Ken, I've often wondered how far crappie range throughout the year. Had anyone actually been able to track them to know for sure? We know they go from shallow to deeper water as the water temp changes but, how far would they move. Just curious.....lots of theories but, is there definative information available?

Okie, I've never seen any data on actually tracking crappie. Hope some day there is some research on them. I used to think crappie were rather sedentary like me. But after fishing tournaments on several different lakes the past few years, I've changed my mind completely. One thing most often observed is crappie won't be far from the dinner table. The exception is spawn time. Shad travel a lot feeding at night. Crappie follow the shad. Certain times of the year, the shad concentrate at certain depths and parts of the lake. Other times, the shad are dispersed through out the water column. I decided about 10 years ago I should have spent the first few years of my fishing experience learning the habits of shad. Then I would have a much better understanding of how to find crappie and the other fish I want to catch.

Your right Ken, plankton, shad, = crappie, bass

I know if you have a set of bamboo tops that are a year old and drop another set of bamboo tops 100 yards away, the crappie will leave the old and move to the new in less than a week.

I saw a study done in Kentucky , one tagged crappie moved 5 miles in 24 hours.

I never thought they would move that far that fast.

MO

Doesn't surprise me at all. I believe crappie move about as much as white bass sometimes. I've also wondered if they feed in schools like white bass and herd the shad around. They may be less aggressive than whites and not tear into the school. Just keep them balled up and pick off the outside of the school. In winter, the crappie hold beneath the shad balls and the shad looked undisturbed on the sonar. I really have no idea, but wish TP&W would do some studies on feeding habits and movements in Texas lakes.

Trivago

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IMHO

911 address!!

When a SAL is sniffing at your Arse you learn quick to find something to hide in or you become the

In my humble opinion the answer is the contours of the lake for the most part. The highways. Just like you find a gas station or a motel if you will.

I have always felt new tops will begin to grow plankton. The shad move in for protection from predators and feed on the available plankton. The crappie circle around and thru the top picking off shad that become exposed.

Kind of like a miniature complete Eco system. If the oxygen & temp are right the tops will continue to replenish until the cover degenerates over the years.