Fall Crappie

[1fishhound1]

I have a little bit of trouble staying with the crappie as the water cools down. If they arent on the piles im really not sure where to find them. Where is a good place to start looking. I fish Toledo Bend mostly.

[CrappiePappy]

Look for the Shad !! As the Shad migrate, the Crappie follow. They're feeding up for the upcoming spawn. I don't know about that far South .... but, in E. Tenn around late Oct into late Nov, I've always found the Black Crappie to be back in the creeks & under deepwater docks, deeper than during the spawn ... but shallower than I usually find the White Crappie. I find the White Crappie to be out in more open water areas & hanging in the deep wood cover & along the channel edges. If there are any deep bluffs/cliffs ... I'd look there, as well. I've caught them along those bluffs in mid Nov ... casting jigs, as well as dragging minnows along.

Right now (while the water temps are still in the high 70's) in central KY ... I'm catching them on the deep flats, 10-15ft down in ~20fow. They're not so much relating to brush piles, as they are to the migrating schools of Shad.

... cp

[Outdoors junkie]

Look for the Shad !! As the Shad migrate, the Crappie follow. They're feeding up for the upcoming spawn. I don't know about that far South .... but, in E. Tenn around late Oct into late Nov, I've always found the Black Crappie to be back in the creeks & under deepwater docks, deeper than during the spawn ... but shallower than I usually find the White Crappie. I find the White Crappie to be out in more open water areas & hanging in the deep wood cover & along the channel edges. If there are any deep bluffs/cliffs ... I'd look there, as well. I've caught them along those bluffs in mid Nov ... casting jigs, as well as dragging minnows along.

Right now (while the water temps are still in the high 70's) in central KY ... I'm catching them on the deep flats, 10-15ft down in ~20fow. They're not so much relating to brush piles, as they are to the migrating schools of Shad.

... cp

i am heading to ky lake October 3-7. Is that too early or will the fish be biting decent

[Pepop]

I have a little bit of trouble staying with the crappie as the water cools down. If they arent on the piles im really not sure where to find them. Where is a good place to start looking. I fish Toledo Bend mostly.

just follow Skiptomylu around, he'll keep you on'm!

[1fishhound1]

Wish I had time to get up to Kentucky this fall. The crappie fishing is supposed to be great and the bass fishing too.

[CrappiePappy]

i am heading to ky lake October 3-7. Is that too early or will the fish be biting decent

Post this over on the KY Forum & the West KY guys will clue you in on what to expect. Well, they will as soon as they get over the big Shindig they're having this weekend

... cp

[DRPEPPER]

If I lived near Toledo, I would keep my ear to the ground and listen for reports in the Chicken Coop. It has been a few moons for me, but I recall the river curved as it approached a bluff. There was a flat on the south side of the river and timber on the north side. I loaded the boat more than a few times while cleaning ice out of my rod eyes.
DP

[1fishhound1]

I have heard of that chicken coop area before but havent really been out there. Ill make sure to listen for that and try to figure out where to find them out there.

[Pepop]

i am heading to ky lake October 3-7. Is that too early or will the fish be biting decent

Welcome Outdoors Junkie! The Ky page is the place to go for best, latest info for that state.