Cool Fall Temps Produce Increased Crappie Activity
By Greg McCain
More than one member of the ACC Crappie Stix pro staff echoed the same sentiment in a survey about fall crappie fishing.
Louisiana fisherman Keith Acker, who also pursues crappie in various Texas lakes as well, sums the idea up well.
“The fall bite is my favorite time of year,” Keith said. “The shad run back up in the creeks, and the crappie follow them. The water temperatures drop back down and allow the fish to be more aggressive. The number of boats on the lakes decreases due to the end of summer and the start of hunting season so there is a lot less boat traffic.”
The transition that Keith (follow his reports on Facebook) mentions is taking place across the country. Night-time temps in the low- to mid-30 and daytime highs in the 50s as far south as central Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas lend a definite fallish tinge to the conditions. That means crappie are entering one of their peak feeding periods as they fatten up before winter.
What do pro staff members have to say about fall crappie fishing? Another main theme is that crappie are stacking up chasing bait and waiting to be caught. Here’s what they had to say.
Fred Mooney, southern Illinois (Full Moon Fishing Service, 618.731.1601, see reports on Facebook)
“What I love the most is that the bait fish go from being spread out all over the surface of the lake to smaller suspended groups, which puts our crappie in ambush mode and they begin relating to structure more and waiting on their next meal . Not uncommon for us to limit out in one spot in a very, very short time, which saves me a ton of money on gas running around.”
Kyle Lasater, northern Arkansas (see reports on Facebook)
“On big clear reservoir lakes like Bull Shoals, the crappie start stacking up better on the main lake. The shad move out deeper and start congregating more, which makes the bite better than in the summer. For some reason, the bigger fish are way more present in the fall and winter than any other time of the year, making it the best time to catch the trophies. From now until spring is the best time of the year to slam some dandies.”
Reagan Smith, central Illinois (Reagan’s Guide Service, 309.642.8106 or www.centralilcrappieguide.com; see reports on Facebook and Instagram)
“In central Illinois, I am dock shooting right now. I can find crappie on all of the docks in coves and on the main lake. But the bigger crappie are sitting on the main lake docks as of right now. Maybe the first few docks going into the coves as well. The colder it gets they will continue to stack up in the coves deeper. Then they will leave as it becomes winter time and go out to the main lake deep structure. Right now is fun and frustrating trying to figure out do they want 1/16th, 1/32nd or do they want hair jigs? I have been catching them anywhere from two feet-12 feet deep in one spot.”
Tim Howell, north-central Mississippi (Longbranch Guide Service, 662.251.5625; see reports on Facebook)
“One of my favorite times of year to fish. They got their feed bag on and chasing the shad. You can find them on the flood-control lakes on the flats adjacent to river channels and main creeks. As the water starts falling with the winter drawdown, just follow the water.”
Chris Sarge Gill, eastern Texas (Asleep at the Reel on YouTube)
“What I like about it here in east Texas is the lakes are turning over. With cooler temps, that cold water is sinking, mixing up that thermocline. With that comes new oxygenated water, and the shad seem to have a new life. The crappie follow the shad and are really aggressive. They will soon be working towards the winter spots, but right now they can be found from the shallows in the creeks to 30 fow on trees. It is a fun time of year for sure!”
Jeffrey Bond (northeastern Mississippi, see reports on Facebook)
“It’s really weird here in North East Mississippi. I’ve found fish schooled up for the last three weeks. They are anywhere from four fow of water to 13 feet deep. The school that’s in four fow are on a single stump and will eat anything you throw at them. The fish that are in 13 fow are on isolated structure. And they are loaded with fish. I’ve never seen schools of fish in four fow this time of year, especially on a river system (the Tombigbee). Once you catch several and they slow down, all you have to do is pick up a minnow or downsize to a 1/32 oz hair jig and keep having fun.”