Personally, I think there are better lakes for Crappie than Dale, although it's not bad. I would suggest the Wolf River arm for them. Right now is prime time for good smallmouth fishing, so I would keep that in mind.

I've been to Dale many times, yet I still feel like a beginner myself. It can be a very humbling lake, but there is no other I'd rather fish. Just talking about it makes me ITCH to get down there!