But it's not all a matter of high tech: Before hitting the water, Driscoll spends some time with a topographic map that shows terrain elevations on the bottom under the water that he intends to fish. He uses elevation lines -- tighter lines indicating a sharper incline, loose lines a gentler slope -- to find the proper drops into the channel. This knowledge allows him to narrow his search to specific creeks and specific locations on the creeks that he's targeting.

According to Driscoll, visual reference points can clue you in to prime crappie spots once you're on the water. “By paying attention to the surface of the water, you can often find eddies behind underwater stumps and sandbars,” he noted. “Although you can usually tell by looking at the shoreline what terrain features may be underwater, other visual signs might be water bugs, leaf litter or a stick in the water. It you find an area where these items spin or hover, it's likely you've found a seam” -- an area at which a swift flow breaks away from still water.

Creek channels often create seams near the shoreline. Crappie hold in the edge of the slack water behind the current break, waiting there for the moving water to sweep baitfish by their location. Finding such a seam is almost sure to reveal a spot holding crappie.

Once Driscoll finds likely structure along a creek channel, he then uses one of two separate approaches for catching crappie; which of them he selects will depend on whether he's fishing live or artificial bait. In both approaches he moves over the top of the fish in his boat and presents the bait straight down.

“For artificial baits, I like a single jig in weights between 1/16 to 1/8 ounce, depending on the depth of water,” he said. “If crappie are holding deeper than 20 feet, I add a No. 5 split shot about 18 inches above the jig. I am also going to apply some type of scent or attach an attractant like a crappie nibble to the jig, since coldwater crappie respond better to scents this time of year.”

For live bait he reverses the order of the weight. “I use a 1/2-ounce bell sinker at the end of my line,” he said, “and loop a size No. 2 red hook about 18 inches above the weight, and often may add another hooked bait above that. I hook a live minnow through the lips and bounce that weight on the bottom, knowing that will put the minnow right in the crappie's face.”

Since he'll be sitting right over the fish, Driscoll forgoes the longer rods popular with crappie anglers and opts for a shorter 7 1/2-foot B'n'M Sam's Super Sensitive graphite rod. The shorter rod gives him both better feel and more control over the deep bait.

“The bite this time of year is mushy,” he offered by way of description. “Any resistance on the line, I'm going to set the hook. If I can get by without wearing gloves, I like to keep a finger on the line just above the reel to feel any light strikes.”

During mid-February, crappie are typically on the move, and Driscoll works his way toward the backs of the tributaries. Keeping in mind that creeks with northern exposures have more sunlight on them, Driscoll works the north sides early and then, later in the month, drops back to the southern exposures and repeats the pattern.