Locating the level where the fish are is the first step, because crappie is a school fish. It's good know approximate depth and if new water, just drop your line down with a small amount of weight.
I would fish lure a few feet from bottom, run experiments of your bobber and lure and/or bait, with a slow retrieve. If not a nibble, come up again and then sub surface. Where the fish are, in part, is determined by the temperature of the water at a particular level, and the season you are fishing. You are trying to locate the level of where the fish are hanging out, or "thermocline." If that ain't the correct spelling, you know something else about me.

If you don't get any bites after a good effort, and you are using live bait, like small red worms, mealy worms, or small minnows, then I would suspect crappie, and possibly other fish aren't there. Live bait is the best way to determine where many fish are, when a lure, might not be particularly attractive. If you get no nibbles on live bait, move on, search the area, and if it's crappie, particularly in warmer water, not when spawning, I'd check out structure, like fallen branches and brush, pilings of bridges that offer some shade and security, etc. Crappie love minnows and small worms, and the "jig" is the all round' best replica of what they naturally eat. However, I've also caught crappie, when hard feeding in the right time and place with pretty good size spinner baits and lures. Start small jigs, small baits. Great fish to catch and eat.

I agree with you Ranger, I don't make a habit of fishing in the cold, but have done it, and in my later years, Jameson (The Scotch I like too) straight, or with a hot coffee and blob of whipped cream does it quite nicely for me as well. However, I must say that the best tasting trout I've ever eaten, have been caught ice fishing, 18 - 24 inches, like none other; very pink, firm, and delicious stuffed with vegetables, lemon, cubes of butter, a little olive oil, and baked in sealed tin foil. When done, you drain the juices ( the smell is wonderful) and can also thicken a little with corn starch) pull out the backbone, put all the meat on a warm platter, serve with rice and pour fish gravy over the top. Oh, ya need crusty sour dough or a good seeded chewy bread and of course a a libation of choice.

I've fished in the mountains of Colorado at 25 bellow zero and back East on the docks for winter flounder in December. The two most important things in any cold weather to keep your body temperature stable is keeping your head warm, and closely followed by your tootsies, your feet.

As far as your legs torso, think layering your clothing, and start with a synthetic underwear, polyprop., silk, (expensive), or something that will wick your perspiration away from your skin. After this cotton or a cotton - light wool blend to absorb the sweat and maintain warmth. I wear good thermal weave bib overalls and if there's no wind, what I just described results in having to sometimes take the bib overalls off if it's even 15 degrees up at 8500 feet with the sun shining.

Wind and not only cold is the enemy. If it's windy, and if there's moisture in the air, then you need to screen it with something like thermal bibs, or a protective shell jacket.

If it's windy, and cold a good baklava is the answer for your face, and one that can be brought down under your neck. That alone is not going to keep your warm in extreme cold, so figure a good hat that is bigger than your usual hat size.

Boots all depends on if you are fishing on snow, ice, etc. I have never bought $175 - over 200 dollar leather, water proof high winter boots, but if you are walking in snow for a while, they might be fine, but I just use Sorrels, which are relatively cheap, and have rubber soles which are better than leather on ice, and with ice chains or spikes easily attached, do well. Sorrels have a felt insert which I like because at the end of the day, I can remove it and dry it out with the leather shell for a dry boot next day. Again, same thing applies for keeping feet warm. Think layering. Start with a cotton synthetic, or thin synthetic sock (not too tight), then a good cotton or cotton - wool sock, the expensive kind, it's worth it. If you can't move your toes, that's too tight and constrictive. Oh, make sure your feet are clean and dry, and powder them with ( I like Gold Bond Max Strength Foot Powder). Why ? Because, if you are like me, and many people, we don't sweat as much under our arms as we do our feet, and the powder will help to keep your feet dry. Keep your toes loose powdered and layered with the right materials. It's a great practice to clean your feet every day, if you are roughing it, and use powder to also keep from bacterial and funky tenias (ringworm, athletes foot).

Hands are a bitch, no way to get around it, except cut down on too long exposure. For ice fishing, I've used wool gloves with the end of the fingers cut off, and you can buy em like that. There are good thermal lined gloves, but it all depends on the fishing you are doing, and how much flexibility you need. I would talk to surf fisherman and ocean fisherman who are sometimes out there in some nasty cold weather what they use. There are hand warmers like some guys have mentioned, chemical packets, all that stuff, but I usually just stick my hands under my clothing and into my arm pits to warm them. I knew an old boy who used to stick his hands inbe// well, I'm not going there, and he shouldn't have either by god ! Women have some advantages for keeping their hands warm, but not going there either. Layer, layer, layer, wick perspiration away from flesh, and stay dry. If it's too windy, I won't even go out, it's miserable.

I'd vote for a bluefish, of the younger snapper variety. The tail fin certainly looks like a bluefish, which is built for speed, and if it had small needle sharp teeth, that's a snapper, or "chomper." It also took a relatively large lure for the fish's size, which is consistent with bluefish. Raised in NJ and catching baby blues in the 60's, much smaller than this one, they'd hit big baits and lures with hooks too big for their mouths, no matter, that's the bluefish, one of the most aggressive fish in the sea that will kill smaller bait just for the sport, not to eat, leaving them mutilated on the shore by the thousands.

With some fresh water fish, like trout, or crappie, keeping them cool from the time they are caught to cleaning is the best way to keep the meat firm. If you string a line of crappie on a line and keep them in the water for hours, (same thing with trout) the texture and taste will be deteriorated. Trout, for instance, will be better preserved kept cool and dry, like in a basket, after the gills are removed, than in the water.

If you want firm flesh, I'd put your crappies over a thin towel in an ice chest, or if the water is cool in a basket, or line in water. I once ate a fresh water drum from muddy water in Kansas, and kept it on ice for a few hours before cleaning and baking it, and was not bad, considering drum isn't considered a great fish to eat. If you have the time, and they are slabbers, I'd gut, take off heads, and pack on ice right away.

I was going to suggest what Lockman said, cotton, which we used mixed in with dough to catch carp when i was a kid. I also like the idea of just eating the sardines and bread, or get some crackers squeeze a little Beaver not and sweet mustard on em, and you're set.

It depends on who you voted for.

Any guy who describes brisket to a bunch of guys on a forum and then licks his chops and goes into how delicious it was is a sadist. It ought to be illegal, unless you are able to share more than that gloating. Hope your dog gets better, by the way.

Good advice to not get twisted into a pretzel by contrary opinions. Good advice to give to those who may have not voted as well, also just sayin'

Mike, used to fish around Sea Bright as a kid. No info on now, but the picture of the jetty with fisherman in background is a great one, whoever took it. Fillet O Fung

I was taught fifty years ago how to catch crappie by watching guys fill small garbage pales filled with fish, using 1/16th oz. jigs, or a small minnow, and bobber, with a very slow retrieve. Most of these guys used a light mono line, but back then it wasn't necessarily all the invisible, but the lightness was the key, to allow the jig and fish to swim naturally, as well as the feel of hits to your hands. I think of crappie fishing as "finesse" fishing, the lighter the gear, the better. If the water is dirty, I'd be even less concerned, depending on the other conditions, (i.e., available food, how hungry, etc.) A hungry fish is less prone to be distracted or fearful of seeing line. As others have wisely suggested, you can tie on a light line leader to get line suppleness and stealth.

Crappie fishing will always be close to my heart, not to mention one of the better tasting fresh water fish if eating is also your objective.

Looks Like a Vampire Fish

Ya know, when it's even in the teens, if there's no wind, at 8400 feet, with the sun shining, you'd be surprised how comfortable that can be. There's times I've taken off my thermal Bibs and do well with jeans, long johns and a heavy sweater. Of course guys fish in huts, but if I need that, I just don't go. That means winds over 20 MPH. I once fished at Eleven Mile Res in South Park, when it was 24 below zero, with 35 mile per hour winds. I have no idea what the wind chill factor was, by my gear broke down about the same time I did. I did catch a 24 inch bow on a long, dangly nightcrawler, which is rarely used for ice fishing. Point being, light or no wind, high altitude, full sun, and it can be fun, particularly if you enjoy finess sp? fishing, using such light line (4 or 6 lb. and small reels, lures, bait, and working decent size fish on up through a hole. Some guys bring hibachi grills out on the ice and cook steaks for lunch, and of course friendly frosties are popping, or my poison, thermos of strong tea, with honey and a drop of Jamesons.

No offense taken, not everybody's cup of tea, or ice.

It's coming soon, the hard water calls, and the older I get (67) the harder it is to respond, but still want to do some ice fishing this winter, and feel more safe (and fun) finding an ice fishing partner.
I live on the Front Range of Colorado about 30 miles South of Ft. Collins, and willing to meet up where we decide to fish, or travel together and split expenses. Have fished Lake John, Delaney Buttes, Wolford, Eleven Mile, etc.
Fillet O' Fung