Also, a wicked high-pressure system, occurring in this same piece of water, might drive fish down to or near the bottom and render them inactive. Either way, a high percentage of crappies in big lakes spend most of the cold-water period in deep water. Another reason why deep water is important to crappie proliferation is the refuge it provides. Deep water allows crappies to feed and lounge away from ambush zones, i.e. the weed beds and rock piles found in shallower water. Here, northern pike, muskies, bass and walleyes prey on panfish.
Available forage relates directly to the depth and size of a lake.
Large productive crappie lakes typically host a myriad of food types. Large lakes hold food in both shallow and deep water. Shallow water forage consists of zooplankton, freshwater shrimp, crayfish, baitfish, and some aquatic insects. Deep-water forage is composed of much of the same, but with the addition of a few key ingredients. Deep sand-flats, mud flats, gravel, and rock structure are home to a number of tasty invertebrates.