So, You go to a lake you have never been to before.What do you do to find crappie? Just ride around scanning for brush piles?

Yes

This time of year I'd think you could go to the deep end of the lake near the dam and just study the electronics. You will eventually find the fish grouped in deeper water. At my home lake I've found some brush but I really just look for the schools of fish near the bottom. It's been a little tougher this year as they haven't yet stacked up on a spot where I can catch a bunch. Rather I just get the remote control out and watch the depth finder while I remotely steer the Ultrex around the waypoints. It works ok but I cover some water.

This time of year I would look for the deepest brush piles I could find, a deep bridge, or go up the creeks on a new lake.

If there is a good paper map of the lake I'd start with it and locate the areas that you think should hold fish. This should save you lots of scanning time. Find spots that you think would be a good place to put out a brush pile and chances are somebody already has.

I looked all over Lake Bardwell. what I thought I found as brush piles were nothing. I couldn't even get hung up .I tried by the dam, under the bridge pillars. I scanned that lake..maybe I just have a crappy graph (HB Helix 5 Sonar- GPS).

I didn't really see any creeks. One side of the lake goes from deep to 1 ft of water., There was no warning buoy. I got lucky and didn't bottom out with the motor.

The side where the dam is was deeper,But it really never got very deep. It is a pretty shallow lake.

I had my wife take a graph pic. But it isn't a great pic



I spend too much time and money trying to find crappie. They are high a high maintenance fish.

I did give up on crappie and caught 2 small catfish on night crawlers.

I think I need a new hobby.I am a terrible fisherman . I couldn't trip over a brush pile if it was out of water.Or find a creek