Fall Crappies

[BartmanMN]

Have the Crappies started moving into their Fall locations yet? I haven't been on the water for some time now.

[pushbutton]

Started finding good sized ones schooled up a few weeks ago in a few lakes i fish for them.They were in the teens through mid twenties with a surface temp around 60 degrees.

This past weekend the bigger ones started moving in as well. Should only get better in the next few weeks. Still have yet to see the minnows move up at night, then it will really be game on!

[ozzie]

nice crappies pushbutton!!! nice to see the kid back out slamming them with you!!!!

[reinhard1]

those are some nice slabs there. good luck.

[Jarrid Houston]

Love crappies nice work and gd luck

[scott b]

Great fish and good job getting the little one out. Pushbutton. Can I ask what you are using to get the slabs? Bobber? Jig? Color? Any help would be appreciated. I have my go to baits but I'd like to try something different to maybe be more productive on my waters.

[Rick G]

Nice fish, Pushbutton jr. looks happy

[pushbutton]

Thanks everyone!

Hotime,

Hardly ever use a bobber...maybe, just maybe in shallow weeds. Almost exclusively a 1/32, and if i need more depth will put on split shot instead of upsizing the jig. Don't like the action the 1/16th has compared to. Plus the slow fall of the smaller jigs can itself trigger a hit. Almost never stationary, even perchance a bobber is on, just a ton of pitching and casting and retrieving. Am a member of the cheap tackle pro staff and will often use whatever, but do have my favorites though: pink/white or plain jigs, tipped with 1 1 1/2" Kalins crappie scrub, 2" calcutta tail, both in tennessee shad tri colors, if that is not working switch to plain white plastics or white/yellow sparse nylon hair jigs tipped with a minnow, for a larger search bait I really like the Storm wild eye minnow; it is big but will really bring out the aggressive fish.

If any of that made me seem like a good fisherman, I really am not, just smart fisherman, in that will usually only target them when they are schooled/active in the early spring and fall, and go pick on their cousins(bass and pannies) during the summer I also usually just fish lakes that can sustain a good population. Most are medium sized( 5,000 acre ish) and have a ton of structure. This allows enough areas for the fish to handle the ice and spawning onslaught, but still small enough to be able to find them.....and the big AND is I have put some time in on these lakes to where I have a good idea where they are going to be. My fishing partner is 5 so if i don't find fish quickly, the trip is cut short and will end up finding myself on the play ground

Oh, one more thing, If you do have luck finding them during the day, head to the nearest shallow weeds later that night, thats where the true slabs will be hanging out. Since he was born, about the only time I can get out alone is after dark, and have found that especially in the fall, the fishing can be incredible!

[pushbutton]

Nice fish, Pushbutton jr. looks happy

Not so happy here!!!

[reinhard1]

was he a little cold? man those are nice crappies. good luck.

[pushbutton]

was he a little cold?

Nah, just crashing from a sugar buzz, when the fish are biting I do whatever it takes to keep him in the boat, even if that means pumping him full of candy Actually, the crappies teeth were digging into his thumbs....I didn't believe him and thought he was just whiney and tired, but yep, they did pierce his skin. So i guess no more lipping picts for awhile

[Iambjm]

Has anyone here tried the powerbait micronymphs? I find that the chartreuse color is really good for crappies. I even nailed a 28" walleye with one a couple of weeks ago, I had it tipped with a leech just messing around right at dark in about 4 feet of water.

[pushbutton]

Haven't used them for crappies, will give it a shot sometime, but do use them or something similar when ice fishing for jumbos on Mille Lacs when the "bug" bite is on.

[scott b]

Thanks for the info guys. Now back on topic. Where do we think they'll be with this North wind we just had? South bays? 25-15? In the muck transition yet? I know that this time of year is a good time to be out at night fishing 10 ft off the bottom along weed edges. My go to jig is a pink tube with a 1" gulp twister stuffed inside. That will make any ones bobber go down!

[BartmanMN]

Wow, those are some nice Crappies there.

[Scott M]

Nice work pb!