There are as many methods are there are fishermen.But my plan depends on the water temps and the season. natural lales, which are few in Ky, need different tactics.Pre spawn, deeper water, spawn, shallower water structure, after spawn, suspended fish. I spider rig in pre spawn, fish visible stucture during the spawn, this visible can be above water or below, watch your depth finder,some dedicated crappie fishermen build thier own underwater structure.But heres the best tip,watch the fishermen who are dedicated crappie fishermen.Clear lakes are a different problem,stained lakes are easier to fish,wish there was just a few great tips, that way I wouldn't need 12 ft rods, ultra light rods, and heavier trolling rods.. It takes time to build a workable attack. Methods that work in reelfoot, wont work at dale hollow. What works at dale. will not work in some large minnesota lakes. I guess what I'm trying to say, is find the method that YOU enjoy, and just go out and enjoy fishing, too much thinking makes my head hurt, and my wallet thinner. Use the KISS system, or wind up like me, boxes and boxes of tackle, used for a specific species, and the more you learn, the more you need to buy.Its called fishing for a reason.