This pair of handsome specks fell for artificial lures.

In order to keep the kids entertained until we found some fish for them to catch, Bernie brought along the Aqua Vu underwater camera he uses on the professional bass tour. In raising two sons, he’s found that children are fascinated by the view of life below the surface. Since I’d caught good fish a few days before in the 20- to 21-foot range, I dropped some rigs down and used the depthfinder and trolling motor to cover that contour line to find them again while Bernie and the boys checked out the subsurface life.

An hour later I was still looking, and in serious danger of losing my “expert” status. So, Bernie decided to terminate the entertainment function of the Aqua Vu and put it to work.

We idled a zig-zag course toward deeper water until we started to see activity on the graph recorder, which we then checked out by lowering the camera. It only took about 20 minutes before we found that the specks had decided to suspend in 10 to 14 feet of water over 24 feet of water on that day. Once we found the fish, it was a simple matter to adjust the depth of the rigs and start collecting a double fish fry’s worth of platter-size specks.

I could get to like high tech!

Irrespective of whether one opts for a high-tech or low-tech approach, staying in the 19- to 25-foot depth zone has proven critical for success during the fall and winter months. And, there are more than a few spots on the lake where you’ll find that much water.

Contour drops are often the key to locating crappie schools.

My favorite section is the north end of Santa Fe, from the first 19-foot drop south of the cut to Little Santa Fe, and easing back to the west toward Santa Fe Beach. Another very productive spot is the 20- to 23-foot contour line on the east side of Little Santa Fe Lake. Some long-time lake regulars feel this area is the most consistent producer of big specks.

If the wind is up and causes problems on the open lake, there is a compact 20-foot hole in Bonnet Cove (in the southwest corner of the lake) that is always good for a few fish. Another overlooked speck spot is Melrose Bay in the southeast corner. It’s not large and it is all an idle zone. But, even though the available lake maps don’t show it, there are depths to 23 feet in there and a tremendous amount of planted brushpiles in the 12- to 16-foot depths. Specks like that, and more than a few call the bay home.

Just how many will scale more than 19 inches is a matter of conjecture. But, I know there is at least one finning around Santa Fe, because I tossed it back.

FS