Fall is just around the corner. While most people are thinking about the upcoming hunting season, fall is a excellent time to think about Crappie fishing. These crappie fishing tips will help you locate the Crappie and put some fillets in your freezer for the Winter!

First, as the water cools in the Fall, Crappie will begin to move from their deep water Summer hangouts to relatively shallow water I typically find Fall Crappie in 6 to 12 feet of water. After the first good Fall cool front, look for Crappie at the first good drop off from the bank.

Fall Crappie can be caught with a variety of tactics in the Fall. One method I use to find Crappie when they’re scattered is using a Spider Rig. A Spider Rig consist of multiple rods rigged up to fish different depths. When you find Crappie hitting at a certain depth with this method, you can then set all your rods to the depth Crappie are feeding at and take advantage of their aggressive nature.

As most of you know, the best time to go fishing in the Fall is just prior to a major cold front. This is the time you can find Crappie very shallow filling up their stomachs on everything from Shad to insects.

Post cold front Crappie can be hard to get to hit your bait. I typically use smaller jigs and minnows. If the weather warms up after the cold front, look for Crappie to become active as soon as a week after the passage of the cold front.

Slow drifting small jigs and minnows can be just the ticket to get post cold front Crappie to hit your bait. Don’t forget that post cold front Fall Crappie become less active and will not chase a bait very far. Even more so, many times you’ll have to have the bait right in front of their mouths.

Look for Crappie along South facing shorelines after a Fall cold front. South shorelines heat up faster, thus attracting baitfish. Where’s there’s baitfish, hungry Crappie won’t be far behind. Don’t be afraid to fish right up against the bank, especially if there is a South wind blowing baitfish up on the bank.

South winds can blow baitfish against the shore, presenting easy pickings for hungry Crappie. Use a Spider Rig or a Float and Jig rig to target these fish and fill your live well! Floats and jigs can be fished faster than minnows, plus since there is not rebaiting, you can keep your jigs in the water longer, catching more fish.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 11th, 2008 at 2:08 pm and is filed under General Fishing Tips and Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.