Why do other fishermen catch more crappies than you? It may not be where you’re fishing, the bait you use, or your presentation. It could be small details that cause crappies to spook and not bite. Here are some common mistakes and solutions to help you catch more fish on your next trip.

Keep your distance

Many lakes receive moderate to heavy fishing pressure. Fish in these lakes are spookier, causing them to swim away or not bite if you get too close to them. This is true whether fishing in open water, cover, or for shallow spawners.

Getting too close may not be a big problem on northern waters where there are many lakes with little or no fishing pressure on crappies, where you can catch them on a 10- or 12-foot jigging pole. However, a lake with heavy pressure can have fish spook when you get 25 feet from them. Fishermen see it all the time on forward-facing sonar (FFS). Fish are spookier than they used to be.

Clear water is another situation where crappies are spooky. Approach a stakebed or brushpile and fish will start leaving when the boat gets within 30 feet. Ten fish on the bed may reduce to six. Get to 15 feet and there might only be three fish left. Most fishermen never know this unless they have FFS, but it’s important to know how spooky crappies are whether you have modern electronics or not.

Reduce noise

Bumping baits against the boat, talking too loudly, slamming the livewell lid, and dropping items in the boat results in fewer big fish. A sudden clang carries a long distance and makes crappies aware that you are present.

The shallower the water, the more important noise becomes. Even laughing and talking can spook fish in shallow water. Sound travels quickly and strongly in the water. Deeper water is more forgiving because fish may come back, but it’s still a factor.

Don’t splash your bait into the water. FFS show that a jig dropped into the water can spook a crappie! So, ease the jig or minnow rig into the water so you give the fish as little warning as possible that something is happening. Casting past a fish and reeling the bait back to it is important.

Control your boat

It’s important to never let the boat go over the top of the fish you target. It lets the fish know you are there and that they are in danger.

Another major boat issue is waves slapping the boat. You can’t eliminate all the slapping, but you can position the boat where the noise is minimal. You may not think that the slapping isn’t loud, but fish can hear it. Go with the wind when trolling or drifting for the least slapping possible.

Trolling motor noise

Trolling motor noise has a definite impact on fishing. New high-dollar motors are quieter, but not every fisherman can afford them. No matter the type of trolling motor you have, it’s important to be as quiet as possible. Bump the motor switch and fish hear the motor change. Even moving the motor from left to right will change frequency and can spook them. You can catch smaller fish, but the big ones may spook.

Forward-facing sonar

B‘n’M Poles’ pro staffer Clay Blair says that fishermen can see crappies in real time and see them spook. “Since LiveScope, I see a lot of fish go down to the bottom. You put a jig in front of their faces, and they go down. The pressure on the fish has blown up in the past few years and the fish get chased a lot. More fish get caught and released because it’s more of a sport today than gathering food to eat. Fish learn and have become spookier.”

At some lakes, fishermen can keep any size fish they catch, but not on all lakes. Lakes with length limits give crappies time to be caught and released a few times throughout their lives. They get more educated about fishermen, like a big buck deer getting smarter as he gets older.

Transducer noise is another factor. The noise is louder and stronger with today’s newer units. Experts are mixed on the amount of spookiness that transducer noise creates. Some fishermen are turning off electronics after they pinpoint a school of fish on a brushpile, under a dock or fishing shallow where electronics aren’t necessary. The shallower the water, the more critical it becomes to reduce noise, including electronics.

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