I have been crappie fishing most of my life (and that's not that long DD).
I seldom fish in rivers but know that lots of folks do catch crappie in them and the tactics and tackle are virtually the same.
My preferred tackle are medium and ultra light weight spining rods and reels rigged with 2 to 6 pound test line. If I'm fishing from docks I use a 4' rod with a Mr. Crappie reel rigged with 20 # braided line (that is the size of 4#) so that I can retrieve my jigs from the huge amounts of submerged brush and trees without breaking off. For baits I prefer to jig fish and when it comes to crappie I've found the statement "the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish" to be true. I use 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inch sassy shad and bass asassins rigged on 1/32 to 1/8 ounce jig heads. I make my own jig heads and generally use the sickle type hooks. We also troll with Capps & Coleman rigs rigged with minnows (I'll explain below). Crappie nibbles and Berkley Crappie scent are helpful when the fish are being finicky.
Lake tactics for crappie and the cycle go hand in hand.
Of course, during the spring spawn find some submerged grass or brush and drop a jig or live minnow on a jig head in it and hang on.
After the spawn I usually find crappie in 9-10 feet of water hanging around ledges and structure. To answer ol yeller; a fishfinder is almost a must when seeking out crappie. They hold up around ledges and structure, you find them, catch a few, and they scatter. A good rule of thumb is "keep moving". When they stop biting you can move 10-20 feet and find them again. Other than jigging my other second favorite tactic is "drop shotting". This involves finding the crappie grouped up around structure.
Rig a jig head with a live minnow lipped or hooked through the eyes.
Drop down
next to the structure at the depth the fish are suspending. No jigging action is required (the minnow does it for you). When you fel the bump lift your rod tip (DON'T JERK IT) and if you feel pressure begin reeling and
We also like to troll in the late fall and winter months when the crappie are grouping up on deep ledges. We use medium weight rods with Capps & Coleman rigs.
We use live minnows lipped on the C&C rigs. Drop them down to the bottom and reel up 1 1/2 to 2 turns, place your rods in rod holders and slow troll over ledges and around brushpiles in water usually 19 to 25 feet deep.
Here are a few caught with this method
Heres my biggest (a little over 4#) caught with a 2 1/2 inch sassy shad next to a submerged tree.
Basscracker I'm up for some crappie fishing anytime and since we're in the same area I can show you some GREAT crappie holes in your neighborhood.
Hope this helps guys. Get out there and give crappie a try. A 4 pounder will give you a work out and yes (preacher) it will "stretch your line".