Lake draw down crappiepappy/ Mr wiskers

[anvil]

How does dropping the water down affect the crappie and there movements ? What kind of patterns will they follow now.
Thanks
I'll be glad when I get to go fishing again It has been a few months since I last went.

[CrappiePappy]

Fast falling water seems to shut down feeding activity, and moves fish out to deeper water ... where they'll suspend, if the comfort zone does not intersect with cover, or take refuge in cover that does.
Slow falling water doesn't seem to affect them quite as much ... and their movements are slower & less extreme.

The pattern should still be "following the baitfish" ... since the water temps are falling, they are aware of the coming cold times, so they're not likely to stray far from their food source.

... cp

[anvil]

Thanks Pappy.
I figure they would move back in the creeks were the bait fish was but most all I'm finding is very small fish. What few keepers I do catch are very thin in the back same goes for the bluegills.

When you say moving them out to deep water I take it they go to the main lake and find a stable water table to stay in? Do they school up?
Thanks again

[anvil]

Fast falling water seems to shut down feeding activity, and moves fish out to deeper water ... where they'll suspend, if the comfort zone does not intersect with cover, or take refuge in cover that does.
Slow falling water doesn't seem to affect them quite as much ... and their movements are slower & less extreme.

The pattern should still be "following the baitfish" ... since the water temps are falling, they are aware of the coming cold times, so they're not likely to stray far from their food source.

... cp

What would be there comfort zone right now?
Thanks

[CrappiePappy]

Thanks Pappy.
I figure they would move back in the creeks were the bait fish was but most all I'm finding is very small fish. What few keepers I do catch are very thin in the back same goes for the bluegills.

When you say moving them out to deep water I take it they go to the main lake and find a stable water table to stay in? Do they school up?
Thanks again

Crappie will stay schooled up during most of the year. Sometimes they're tightly schooled, other times loosely schooled ... and usually stay together with others of the same year class or relative size, though there are instances where sizes can get mixed.

This time of year -- It's been my experience, though mostly at Watts Bar Lake (E TN), that the Black Crappie are the ones that tend to come into the creeks .... following the Shad ... and get around shoreline cover (deep water docks, deep brush, cliff walls). The White Crappie seem to stay out in the main lake channels & ledges, or the deeper creek channels.

Turnover will stress the fish & baitfish ... but, once the lake has settled, and the water temps are relatively equal throughout the water column ... they will congregate in, or at least within range of, their normal Wintering places. These are usually deeper haunts, where they can suspend close to cover or ledges ... so that they don't have to travel any distance to stay in a comfort zone, but simply rise or drop vertically in the water column to do so. That's just a general rule, however, as I have caught Crappie in less than 8' of water, right next to the bank, from a blowdown, in the months of Dec & Jan ... fishing from the bank (Taylorsville Lake) Doh Rofl


... cp

ps - you'll probably have to post your question on the KY forum, to get Wiskers take on this, as he rarely posts here.

[89ranger]

Good question