Is there a maximum depth for crappie?

In practice, about 15 m (49 ft) — and most of the year far less. The crappie's band is the middle of the water column: nests at 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.5 ft) in spring, a thin summer layer somewhere around 4–8 m (13–26 ft), fall structure at 6–12 m (20–39 ft), winter basins of 6–12 m (20–40 ft) with the fish hovering well off bottom. The deep end belongs to ice-free southern reservoirs, where winter schools use standing timber at 8–15 m (26–49 ft). Two things cap it. In summer the water below the thermocline usually lacks oxygen. And a crappie cannot vent its swim bladder: fish from beyond about 9 m (30 ft) rarely survive release, so a deeper school is a keep-your-limit-and-leave decision. Remember that the depth that matters is the fish's, not the bottom's.

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