I've always said Fall and late Summer crappie fishing is the worst! Winter, even cold Winter they can be found, and until it gets just too hot to keep minners alive they can be found but once the extreme hot hits and into fall they disappear. Someone posted something along this line not too long ago. Now the hot summer time can be good bassin at nights with few fish but BIG fish. As the weather cools into fall small bass are abundant and then when it seems just too darn cold to be on the water the BIG bass start back. We used to crappie fish a lot at night so hot summer and early fall crappie may be better at night?? Then there's the moon that was just full at night which I've heard crappie feed all night long when it's full.