I'm new to the game and need some sort of an idea on what to focus my efforts one when fishing spawning crappie. I've heard banks with a 45 degree angle, brush piles, etc...do crappie prefer sandy bottoms or do they spawn around timber or brush on the banks?

My favorite is dropping a jig or minnow down near a log laying horizontal in the water and gradually getting deeper. The right spot and you can catch several without moving. I haven't done as well on steep banks even when there is brush in the edge.

Lately, maybe because it's prespawn and not quite full spawn where I fish, it seems they only like to suspend and get in Brush that's on the bottom up, not brush that's hanging "Into" the water, even if it goes down some feet deep.

Look for banks with a slope btw 30-45 degrees with gravel or sand. From there key in on interruptions like laydowns, brush,etc.

Just sore lipped about 25 out of this one spot. No keepers, but sho was fun!

Get on the bank and fish/walk anything that looks good in one to three foot of water...or get in a boat and do the same thing...protected coves, creeks (holes in the creek bank), thick cover, tree tops (fish in the thickest part of the top tangles), bull brush(at the main root base), rocks (between the rocks), lay down logs (under the logs) anything green (look for open pockets), stumps (drift a cork rig past them or tight line with the drift and then circle the stump with your rig)...These thoughts should get you started.

Get a good pair of rubber boots or waders and you can fish more of this structure....in stealth mode...