Casual fisher here.. Questions

[IliketoeatFish]

Well, I'm just a casual fisher living in Cary who goes out on the lake with my son or some friends. Since we haven't lived here long, the only pool of water I know within our vicinity is Jordan Lake. We went there on our little row boat a week or two ago and got nothing. Last fall, however, we were catching everything - mostly catfish and some striped bass.

Are there any other lakes around here besides Jordan?
What types of lure/bait are most efficient? We've tried the Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits (with no luck at all), earthworms, and deep crankbaits... I guess they're all very easy to use and tie to the line, unlike plastic lures (which we haven't tried).
I hear that Crappies like minnows.. now how do we catch these little guys?

Thanks in advance