Reply With QuoteAre you camping at the State Camp Ground. If so, directly across the lake from you is a cut-thru, that leads to Emerald Isle Marina. As you approach that side of the lake and cut thru, you's see rock ledges/cliffs up and down the lake. That has always been a good area for me to catch some crappie, and if you go with bobbers and nightcrawlers, all sorts of fish including cats, bass, and bluegill. If you go thru the cut thru, again, you can fish up or down the banks on that side with good success. I have gone thru the cut thru, then broke to the right, and worked out of over the middle in that area and fished 15-20 foot down with minnows and caught quite a few crappie there. I'm not a true crappie fisherman, and can't tell you about seasonal stuff, but those areas have produced for me from May thru November, some days better than others. When bobber fishing with kids, I use slip bobber rigs, set to go about 6 to 8 foot deep while fishing along the walls and cliffs. That way they get the bait down deep enough to get some of the bull bluegills, and an occassional bass. Cats that roam along the face of the cliffs feeding on gills, will get drawn in by the commotion if you catch 3 or 4 gills at any one spot. We've caught some 12-17 pound flat heads just with the nightcrawler rig after catching several gills there.
Good luck.