Put a bobber stop for a slip bobber on your line if you are trying to stay at certain depth so you can return to it. I fish the crappie spawn at a couple of different lakes with a 12' rod, and fish between 18"-36" deep. A bobber stop at 36" helps me to better gage how deep I am and if I'm fishing in water too deep for spawning. It also works well after the spawn if they are hanging 6-7' deep to have that stopper at around 7' deep so you won't be fishing under them.
Fish slow and keep your jig still, and you will get more strikes.
