Hey guys, kind of new to the crappie game. We got 6 inches of rain last night. I was wanting to take my kids out crappie fishing tomorrow. will this affect the fish that are up on the banks? Should we move out deeper or stay shallow? I have a boat so we can kind of fish wherever, I just figured it would be easier for them to cast at the bank than fishing in open water. Any suggestions are much appreciated!

I'd go to the North end of whatever lake you're going to fish and start at 10-12 foot and move shallower till you find them. Casting and bouncing road runners would be good for kids.

Appreciate the info Brian!

They are ready wet.....

Rain means the fish will be spread out.

Fish are scattered right now anyway and they’re already wet!! Go get em!!

fish tend to come up higher in the water column from the oxygenated top part of the water column,.they also tend to go shallower if the rain was enough to raise the water level.
pay attention to heavy particulate matter or muddy water areas, stay away from those areas if you can, the particulate matter makes it hard for crappie to process water thru the gills as well as mud and will leave the area if they feel uncomfortable.
if banklines holding crappie start to get beat up by the waves, they will not stay there, and will move out to deeper water and likely wont return to that bankline,
My method for locating crappie in spring is to always start deep, then work my way shallow., which is opposite of most. why do I do this? Its because I can consistently catch crappie in deep water almost year around. I catch bigger crappie than I do on banklines, and crappie holding deeper dont move as much due to weather conditions,..,last week the lake I fished had boats swarming the banklines, and not catching much,., I was sitting in almost 23 feet of water, catching them off the bottom, almost a limit from one spot.
If you decide you do want to run the banklines, try to find banks that are somewhat protected from a North wind. stay away from the bank and cast underspins or finesse slip float rigs . I use a neoprene float if wind permits so I dont give off a big splash. dont stay in one area very long if no action. they arent coming in in the evening, they arent coming in that night because of the moon, they arent coming in because thats when they came last year, they just aint coming,, move on .. you want to find fish that are there RIGHT NOW..
look for areas that have life, because the shad like to spawn in the same areas crappie due because of the oxygen levels, sunlight penetration, and nutrient content,, so if it looks dead in an area, no baitfish around, no life, move to a different area.. if the water is too clear, the crappie will not be there, look deeper, or look elsewhere. its more a game of hunting right now, not tricking them into biting.,.,