Winter crappies in natural lakes are typically found in 15 to 30 feet of water but they can and will go much deeper.  Sabaskong Bay, on Lake of the Woods, is a favorite winter crappie hang out and a popular destination for many Minnesota and Dakota based anglers.

Those Sabaskong fish like to suspend over deep water, and can be spotted on a flasher holding 4 to 8 feet off bottom over 40 feet. Once the crappies are located, anglers move their shacks right over them and stay there for weeks.

There may be no species of fish better suited for the use of electronics through the ice than crappie.

 Because suspended crappies are oftentimes the biters, you really need to have a set of eyes under the water telling you precisely were the fish are. If you fish below a school of crappie, they'll rarely bite. But when you know where they are, you can tease them into striking by pulling the bait up above them and then dropping it back down.

Like a kid, the crappie doesn't like when an easy snack is pulled away from its nose.  It's a game of cat and mouse that is both enjoyable and effective but requires the use of a sonar unit to carry out properly. 

When searching for crappies, a four-color flasher like the Vexilar FL-8 is one of the modern ice angler’s best friend and tool for the job. It can show you depth, fish, your lure, bottom composition, and structure with incredible accuracy.

When you get really good with one, you can anticipate the strike of a crappie moments before you feel it.

Ice Fishing Crappies with an Underwater Camera