Fall water temps

[tkpaul]

What is the water temperature when you start seeing a good fall bite?

[Jerry Blake]

Hey Paul:

Any drop in water temp in late summer or early fall seems to improve their appetite and bring them shallower here but when it falls from the mid 70s to around 60 they seem to be the most ambitious. When the temps fall much below 60 they start to move deeper again and get less and less aggressive.

It's pretty much the reverse of the pre-spawn/spawn/post spawn pattern.

We did a little scouting this morning in between building bambo crappie condos and found some as shallow as 6-feet in 10-feet of water and they were willing to nip a jig fairly well. The surface temperature was just under 80-degees - down from the upper 80s about a week ago.

[tkpaul]

Thanks. That's what I kinda thought, but I haven't spent much time fall crappie fishing, usually in the deer woods. But this year, I'm going after the fall bite. Three weeks ago our water temp on Lake Texoma was running around 90-91, but the recent cool down has it around 82. I trolled both bandits and jigs from 12 ft to 6 ft and caught everything from blue cats to smallmouths, but no crappie. Go figure.

[Roberta]

Our water temp is 75 here and last Sunday we got into a good bunch of bull bluegill. We're hoping the crappie and saugeye are aggressive this weekend at a different lake. Personally, I think the shorter days plays as big a part as cooler temps in triggering the fall bite, but that's just MHO. - Roberta

[unknown 5]

I think temperature plays a big role into where the crappie are and how well they bite. The water temperature is 75 here in Central Illinois. The crappie are not all of the way in but they are not deep either. When it gets around 65, they will be shallow.
The shorter days also make the sun not as bright, so they hit like they do in the twilite in the summer all day long.
Find the baitfish and you will find the crappie.

[Jerry Blake]

Shorter days may play a role in motivating fish to get more aggressive but if I'm not mistaken our longest day of the year was about June 21st (the Summer Solstice) and the days have been gradually getting shorter since then.

However, the fish here get less and less aggressive through the end of July and are generally most finicky in August when our surface temps get in the upper 80s and sometimes reach the low 90s. They also seem to stay deeper and less aggressive through part of September if our weather remains hot but get in a noticeably more aggressive pattern as soon as the water cools off a few degrees. If the water heats back up again they seem to move deeper and get less aggressive again.

Unfortunately there are no hard and fast rules but that's what keeps it interesting. My number one rule is, "If it aint working try something else". In other words if they aren’t where you expect them to be and biting like you think they should then try some places or depths you wouldn't expect them to be just to make sure they aren't just messing with your head!

[bugman]

You could be talking about my home lake Jerry that is exactly the same thing that happens here.

[Roberta]

The farther North you are, the more significant a change in day length between the seasons. That's why those above the Arctic Circle have summers with a midnight sun and winters with no sun at all. The closer to the Equator, not much of a swing.
At the latitude we're located, day length triggers bird migrations, plant dormancy and a number o fother animal behaviors. You're right, Jerry, that days have been getting shorter since solstice, but once it reaches a certain point, some plants and animals change their behaviors.
Just for comparison, our sunrise this morning was 7:11 and sunset will be 7:57. What's yours? - Roberta

[Jerry Blake]

The farther North you are, the more significant a change in day length between the seasons. That's why those above the Arctic Circle have summers with a midnight sun and winters with no sun at all. The closer to the Equator, not much of a swing.
At the latitude we're located, day length triggers bird migrations, plant dormancy and a number o fother animal behaviors. You're right, Jerry, that days have been getting shorter since solstice, but once it reaches a certain point, some plants and animals change their behaviors.
Just for comparison, our sunrise this morning was 7:11 and sunset will be 7:57. What's yours? - Roberta

Sunrise 6:50 Sunset 7:29