What would be the best depth to fish at for crappie? What would be the safest depth of ice to walk on? What would be the best bait/lure for winter crappie?

Crappie suspend. They can be anywhere from from a foot under the ice all the way to the bottom, depending on their mood and what is around to eat. A good fish finder will help you locate at what depth they are hanging that day. We use small jigs tipped with either spikes, waxworms or moussies. They say for ice fishing you should have 4 to 5 inches of good ice. We fish on 3 inches quite often around here and don't have to much problems. That is up to you though. My rule of thumb is if there are alot of people out walking around on it I feel safe to follow. use some common sense and test it before you just go walking out on it. A spud bar is a good thing to bring along to check with.

The best advice you can give someone that is headed onto the ice is CHECK AS YOU GO!!! As mentioned above, a spud bar can be used to check the ice density. The quality of ice is probably more important than the thickness. Good ice will be clear and poor ice will be milky and/or have a honeycomb texture. 3" of clear ice is plenty to walk on - 5" of clear ice is plenty for a snowmobile or quad - 10" of clear ice is plenty for your truck. If you do have an auger, spend the time and drill as you go. These basic principles will ensure you can come back to tell about the trip!

I like to use minnows on a small jig or a hook and slip bober that way you can ajust to the depth of the fish and with the minnows you get less bluegills and the ones you do get are nice size.
FISH ON LIFE MEMBER SINCE 02-98

We've been pulling out some crappies the past few years using green or white glow Genz bugs with either crappie minnows or wax worms, or just a plain gold hook and split shot with crappie minnows.  As mentioned earlier, crappies can be found anywhere in the water column, but they will generally suspend.  I use a Vexilar when ice fishing, which really helps with locating the suspended fish.  If you don't have electronics, look at a lake map and try to find a deep hole surrounded by a mud or sand flat.  If the deep hole is 20-25 feet deep, start out fishing somewhere between 10 and 15 feet down.  A really fun time can be had at night with a lantern and a portable shanty.  The light tends to attract bugs, which attracts the crappies.  You can pull out some really nice fish this way.  If you can find a lake with safe ice in early March, move shallower into the flats, either on the north or east side of the hole in 5-10 feet of water.  This is where the crappies will congregate prior to spawning.  Hope this helps. 

shucks, ya all beat me ta the punch line.....

crappie fishing is a lot of fun. you must be always ready to use different baits and rigs. small minnows is my #1 bait to use, but i have run into a time or 2 when they would take only grubs. i have a shallow lake that produces some realy big crappie but during hard water times ya only get them on grubs and any other time only on minnows.

during 1st. ice you can find crappies in 2 main areas-- over deep water close to a sharp break going onto a big flat or in the channels or back bays-- and they are feeding mostly on minnows. as always depending on weather and preasure is how deep or shallow you will find them.

i think the hardest time to get crappie-- at least in my area-- is late jan. to late feb.. but they can be gotten in good #'s if ya work at it. again break lines going from deep water to shallow flats are the key, but work closer to any green weeds ya can find. also must of the time ya do yer best fishing after dark.

with last ice move shallower. look were a break is close to shore and if ya have reeds or wild rice growing in the area the better. also remember the wood. anytime of the year if ya have wood in the right area crappie will always use it.