I ws going to reply but then I started thinking about all the ways I've caught crappies and couldn't decide what to say as I've caught them top water, just below, on the bottom and everywhere in between and on a lot of different things. I guess if it was me I'd start with a plain hook and a small minow on some fine line and a slip bobber like Buschy says. No bite in a few minutes I'd move it up a foot and keep moving it up til I found them or cast to a different spot and start the cycle over.
Caught crappies while slip bobbing for walleys one day. Using chubs about 3 1/2 inches long. My dad and I both caught limits of 1.5 to 2# crappies in about an hour. Really surprised me they would eat a chub that size but damn they were fun to catch. Fly fishing crappies is probably my favorite way to catch them tho.
