Fishing in the shallows right now is not very productive, since the surface water temps are still a bit too cold for the crappie to come into the shallows. Deep lake fishing is still doing well, though.

If you're going fishing for crappie around this time, you are best off if you have a boat so you can get to some deep spots.

You won't even need to cast your line. Just find a good deep spot (preferably with a nice drop-off) of about 50 ft in depth. Drop your line straight down until you feel it hit bottom. Then pull up about 2 ft off the bottom.

A double bottom rig with a bass casting or pyramid sinker will work well if you are using live bait. Though many folks like using the tiny little small minnows, I like the medium ones. The medium minnows attract a bigger fish. For crappie, I like using a #1 gold aberdeen or a #1, or #1/0 bronze carlisle hook (I like the carlisle hooks better). I usually like hooking the minnow directly at and under the dorsal fin. They seem to do better for me than hooking them anywhere else.

If I am on shore and havng to cast out, I'll use the same rig and then add a small bobber about 2-3 ft above my barrel swivel. This allows me to cast out to a deeper area, let the sinker hit bottom, and the bobber pulls up just enough on the line to keep my bait at just the right distance from the bottom.

If you'd rather use lures for crappie fishing during this time of year, the chartreuse jig bodies seem to work best, and fishing from a boat in deep water (50 ft depth is ideal) works very well.

Again, drop the jig straight down from the boat. When it hits bottom, pull it up about 2 ft. Then start twitching your rod to get a bit of jigging action going.

If you can stand the cold night temperatures, night-time fishing can be very productive in those same 50 ft depths.

If you have some of the glow worms or the ice fishing glow-in-the-dark weighted plastic minnows for jigging, you can have a good bit of fun and end up with a daily limit in a matter of just a few hours... and you may end up catching some other, more sizeable fish than crappie.
Be sure to remember safety, especially when boating to your favorite fishing spots during this time of year. Dress warmly in layers. Layers give better protection while allowing you to peel off layers if the day starts warming up.

Remember when night fishing to keep your stern light on and fish away from the channel. If you decide to turn your stern light off while anchored in order to keep your fishing spot a secret, you are posing a danger to yourself, your passenger(s) and other boaters. And if DNR sees you, there is a very good chance you will get a very well-deserved ticket.

One other thing... wear a PFD. Don't just use it as a seat cushion. There are fishing PFD vests which are comfortable and they even provide good added insulation against the cold temps.
If you happen to fall overboard, or your boat capsizes, stay with the boat and try to climb atop of it or pull yourself as much out of the water as you can. It is much easier to spot a capsized boat than it is just a head bobbing up and down on the water.