school me on how to catch these guys

The lake I fish in southern Oklahoma has some nice crappies in it. I've mainly focused all of my attention on bass but I'd like to try catching some crappie now too. I believe the lake has set brush piles marked with buoys would those be a good place to start with a jig n minnow under a bobber? I've never been confident catching crappies with jig only. I don't mind using minners, just gives me more confidence.

It's a very deep clear lake, with lots of rock shore lines. I've caught crappies off rocks at Lavon but that's not typically where they would spawn, correct? those crappies from Lavon were from the shore with the 100's of other people out there lol

Any sort of advice as to where to begin figuring these guys out is much appreciated.

A trip (or two) with a local guide, would likely speed the learning curve......

for sure, but me being the stubborn type....even asking here is a stretch lol

If they have Brushpiles marked, that would be a very good starting point. If the water is deep, i personally would not use a bobber. Crappie will spawn on the rock because the rocks hold heat from the sun and keep the water at a more constant temp.

typically where the brush piles (in coves) the depth is 10-20 feet deep. The entire lake has rocks everywhere. Rocks the size of your truck and boat combined, to chunk rock to pea sized rock. I guess maybe find an area that doesn't have rock and go to the nearest area that does? Maybe that nearby rock acts like a magnet.

Growing up in Iowa on a small lake, it always seemed like the crappies liked to spawn in bays near some sort of cover. If not using a bobber then it's cast, let it sink, slow retrieve?

Unlike TX, OK does an excellent job of placing BPs and marking them for the public. Fishing these should be a good starting point as you learn the lake. I would suggest fishing some of these and on the same trip look for other crappie structure to avoid the 'milk run' mentality.

Since it is a clear lake, minnows should do well as crappie see well. If using jigs, select more natural colors like black emerald and such. I also would try a jig tipped with a minnow. I would also experiment with the jig head color. For clear water I would first start with white, then pink, then orange. Plain lead head could be the ticket too.

There's a lot of opinions if line color matters or not. But I would use fluorocarbon, at least as a leader.

These are just a few ideas. Good luck.

Don't worry about minnows all the time. Fish the minnows and force yourself learning how to fish with jigs. In the WWW era, there are countless articles teaching how to jig, and in the YouTube FB world, there are more info than you have time to read and watch.
For deep and clear water, use proper jig weigh (heavier from 1/8-1/4 oz) with 6-8# test line. Use tone down colors or neutral colors, not fluorescent

If it's a very clear lake like Lake Murray or Broken Bow you will face a lot of the same things I dealt with at Possum Kingdom Lake. PK is so clear that this year I can actually sight fish crappie. You can learn a lot from watching how long they look at a jig before taking or rejecting it.

Crappie take a long look at a bait before taking it. Crazy colors don't seem to work for me at PK. What has worked in clear water for me has been solid white jigs on 6 lb test fluorocarbon line. The jig needs to hang very horizontal in a natural manner.

This is the jig I am using. More important than the color is the material that has an iridescent chartreuse flash to it. You also need a jig with several long strands of flash in the tail. I have not been able to find a comparable plastic.

http://www.gilmoretackle.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=56

The other option for clear water is minnows. The downside with minnows is sometimes the crappie will come up to the minnow and just chase it around the weight and tangle the line. At Lake Fork this year, I actually had better luck with dead minnows, as they could not away from fat lazy crappie.

Its Arbuckle Lake. Clear and deep. When growing up, I remember using those bronze colored hooks, just plain hook n minnow a lot while crappie fishing. Are those a thing of the past?

Just depends on your preference (hook n' minnow). I was raised using minnows and up through about 10 years ago, that's all I used, but it's more to carry and more intensive IMHO. I got on here and slowly migrated toward jigs. Now, whether on the lake or at a marina or barge, I use jigs 99% of the time. Only time I'll use minnows if the bite is VERY SLOW or if I'm with friends who still are strictly 'minner drowners'.

Either way, a crappie is a crappie and there's already been some awesome advice on here. Do what makes you happy, having fun, and successful.

Best of luck to ya.

Ryno: I use little number 4 Gamakatsu or Eagle Claw laser sharp hooks. Smaller than most use but I get all the dinks and those pesky bluegills. Downside is the eagle claws with straighten out if you get a Big LM Bass or striper. In Arbuckle you could add small mouth to that as well. I caught a smallmouth once at the Roosevelt bridge at Texoma that was about 20 inches on a minnow with that hook though. It was a serious struggle to boat that fish on that hook and 10 lb test fluorocarbon.

Crappie are very similar to bass in that they will ambush prey fish just like bass. Use your side and down scan to search out structure in creek channels, river channels, points and places you would look for bass in a summer pattern. If the baitfish are there, the crappie are close by. Start on the brush piles you mentioned and if you don't get a bite in about 15 minutes or so then move on to the next one. I'm not opposed to minnow fishing at all but I tell ya, once you get the thump on a jig it's very addictive. I'm not familiar with your lake but if there are boat houses on it then I would definitely flip a jig under them. Good luck to ya and post some pics of your catch.

Do not shy yourself from the rocks. Big crappie love them. Just sayin.....

I agree, under a float about 6 inches of water this time of year!

6 inches deep I mean in shallow water!

Only problem with the rocks is the entire lake is rocks. I would maybe try the dam but that's no different, I don't think, than any other stretch of shoreline. I have found a few bigger cedar trees that have fallen over into the water that should hold fish on rock shorelines. May start there?

If the entire lake is rocks, then don't focus on rocks until they make a point of holding stickly on rock. Start with the brush. Pay close attention what they are holding on.

Jimmy: If will never find a crappie in very shallow water if it's crystal clear. They have no death wish and Blue Herons and Osprey are quick to dispose of unwary fish.

At Pk I find the crappie shallow just at the depth where I can't see the bottom.

Ryno: In that clear water shade will be a bigger draw than cover. Are there any docks? If so, that is cover and shade. Ease into a few and if they are there your depth finder will light up. Where I was catching crappie this week the entire screen showed fish. Not all were crappie but crappie were under that dock.

Thanks fellas!
Yes sir, there are some docks but they are fishing piers and generally have people fishing on them. I'm guessing there are sunken trees by them too. I haven't checked it out with sonar though.

That's the other thing....I need to get MUCH better at identifying fish on my 1198 humminbird. white dots are what i'm looking for more or less I think. Always looking for good you tube videos for help.

Agree with this 100%...you'd be amazed at what one trip can do for a person.

Ryno: One day some lucky electronics guru will figure out how to tell us if those dots are crappie or carp. Until then, you just have to fish them and see.