Fall Crappie: Where to Find Them

By Chris Erwin

Most of the anglers who are out there still trying to catch fish at this time of year, will be fishing for bass or musky. However, many of us believe the best eating fish, the crappie, is ready for the taking now. Crappie is not affected by cold weather nearly as much as some of the other fish we pursue all year, and as a matter-of-fact, crappie is one of the fish that can be caught all winter.

In the spring and through the summer, most anglers focus on brush piles, laydown trees or some other structure to try to locate crappie. While this is a good strategy, when it comes to fall it’s time to start thinking in a new way.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife has done crappie studies. You can go to their website and read all about the studies on both white crappie and black crappie. The studies state that black crappie stay in shallow water even into fall, with many staying in shallow water though the hot days of summer.

While I don’t dispute anything in their study, there are some truths that I have witnessed through the years in our eastern Kentucky lakes. As fall gets underway and the shad start to move toward the creek heads, white crappie will suspend in standing timber usually on flat edges near the mouth of creeks. The crappie will herd shad the same as white bass or black bass.

I have also notice that when these fish break the surface chasing shad, they will be easy to spot. When you’re on the water and you see breaking fish, notice that while they all may be chasing the same shad, bass break the surface very differently than white bass and crappie. Crappie flick the surface when chasing shad and there is little disturbance, unlike bass or white bass.

Over time as the shad work their way into the back of coves, it’s black crappie that start showing up there too. These fish tend to stage along the creek channel in 10 feet or less. The water is cooling all this time and the white crappie seem to show up in fewer numbers. As the shad work toward the shallow creek heads the black crappie get more active and the shad move into their favorite haunts.

When I’m fishing fall shad patterns, I keep rods rigged for both bass and crappie. While the bass rig will mostly likely be a spinnerbait or crankbait, I will have an inline Mepps spinner for the crappie. I count the bait down before I start the retrieve unless the fish are breaking the surface. I like to use shad flash colors with white bucktail dressing. The rod you use can also give you advantage. I use a 12 foot light action crappie rod. This rig will let me make a long cast with very light baits and when you hook up, it’s a ton of fun.

Before you hang up your rod this year plan a crappie trip. Focus on the shad and be ready for bass or crappie. You might just find a good way to put a little fish in the freezer right before winter.