Fall fishin for the novice...

OK, to start. What is the general range of water temp before the fish begin to get into short (5'-8') water? Is there much single polin goin on, or is it pretty much pushin jig/minners? In the fall/early winter, do the fish get in shorter water like they can in the spring? Am I correct in assuming that late Oct., Nov. can be pretty good ? then again in Mid Feb.?

We have a good many new posters lately, and I'll ask these questions, assuming that they might be new to crappie fishin. We know that all answers are subject to weather, but with that unknown OUT of the equation, let's help some of these newer guys out with some generalities.

Hope this post isn't redundant or out of line....sorry if it is.

Get a bucket of minners, a few hooks and weights then put em in the water

Best time of the year far as I'm concerned and weather don't seem to effect em as bad as spring time

Thanks for posting about this subject. I'm new to crappie fishing and have more time to read about it then I do to actually get out there and try. I took my boys (ages 5 & 3) this past Saturday to the Rez and we tried pulling cranks with what little equipment I have. We were on the water for only a couple hours before it started getting dark on us. We caught one little white crappie in the first 10 minutes and then only one catfish the rest of the trip. Both were caught on the pink Bandit. No idea how deep though, ha. Had a blast though. Any tips are welcomed and appreciated.

Pistol, glad to hear that you're getting into crappie fishin, especially with the boys. That's why I started the thread....to see if any body like you had any specific questions that we could help you with the learning curve. Speck hit it though....grab minners and head for the water. Lessons learned are often better than lessons you were taught. With each trip you'll get a better feel for the process. You'll learn to look for shad balls, white birds diving (Mississippi fish finders) for shad, water temp, wind direction, fronts moving thru, rain, etc. When I started back on the crappie nine years ago, I kept a notebook journal with some pretty specific notes. Seemed to help till the process became more routine. Find a fishing shop that you like and ask questions bout tackle, jigs, etc. Most people on C.com are MORE than glad to help you when they know you're not just fishing for "honey holes"...lol. Bunch of quality guys here, and they WILL help.

single pole fishing is great in the 5 to 8 foot range in the fall the crappie are herding up shad so just try and match the hatch and get thumped good luck to you sir

Great thread!!!!! Do you guys usually jig with tip minnows or or just jigs this time of the year? And also what would be the average depth of water on a day to day bases that you fish this time of the year if your were trolling the flats??

I always thought crappie went south in the fall thru the winter months?? I always catch whitetail, doves and duck during the late fall and winter months.. on the flats mostly, but sometimes in shaller water... Lol.. :-)

October and November are my favorite times to fish the Big 4. Years ago, my Dad and I used to single pole only (didn't know what trolling was, lol). We caught tons of fish fishing in the timber, sometimes as shallow as 3 ft. Of water. I really miss those days fishing with my Dad, but have many good memories. The thump really felt good!

Yeah Donnie keep waiting on that invite?

Quick question. Is there a style of fishing that is more productive in the fall? For example should I still be pulling crankbaits or should I try pushing jigs with minnows? Or is something like that on a day to day basis that you just have to figure out for yourself? Again thanks for all the help.

I push minners i

I too push minners. Prefer the large from lakeway..don't have to use the trolling motor, just let em tow me along. :biggrin

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Originally Posted by Boatbottom

I too push minners. Prefer the large from lakeway..don't have to use the trolling motor, just let em tow me along. :biggrin

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Now that's funny right there. I haven't bought any minnows there, but I guess I need to get a bigger bucket.

Find the Ironlake area at the res. jig fish from bottom to top . they pretty much on the flat or creek drop there year round . there are trees in 25 ft. of water next to snags in 10 ft . When you come off Natchez trace headed to tommy's it is on the west side of the road . You can see the tall trees around the old slough .Bobby Garland baby shad in natural colors should work .

Wow thanks for that tip. I think if I can find time, me and my oldest son might run out there Friday afternoon.

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Originally Posted by coolerfull

Yeah Donnie keep waiting on that invite?

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This spring for sure tenn tom it's a date :biggrin

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Originally Posted by deltarat

Now that's funny right there. I haven't bought any minnows there, but I guess I need to get a bigger bucket.

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When you see the Lakeway minners you'll understand.

So when the water gets colder will they move back to the brushtops? This summer I was finding them in 15 to 30 ft.

You guys that are pushing minnows, are you fishing the same places and same depth that you were pulling cranks? I have only been catching fish in 18-23 fow. Do I need to fish the same spots and 15-18 feet deep?
Are you using double rigs with minnows alone, jig and minnows or roadrunners and minnows?

Fished Barnett on Tuesday and found them in 6' of water on flats holding somewhere in the bottom half of the water column next to steep ledges falling into 12-18'. Seemed to be ambushing bait coming out of the river channel. I would let my boat slide off into deep water and when I pushed back up onto the ledge it was on! I was pushing four rods, 2 with straight miners and 2 with straight jigs. I think I caught an equal amount between the two. For me, the key was finding those ledges with big drop offs.

I can't say I have found a consistent pattern this time of year. I tend to do a lot of running and hit several different type of areas but when I find one I find a dozen or more. I fished five spots before I had my friend rest fish at 11am. They could be 3' or 13' but when you hit them you hit big. That being said, on Barnett, I fish ledges, creek channels, and humps 90% of the time versus visible standing timber. :twocents

Oh, I do tend to use larger profile baits this time of year as the shad are bigger.