The Fall bite

[Just_Bass]

Good info sir. Lately I abandoned my usual spot that produced crappie all summer long to the other side, where I caught them in spring before spawning. I’ve yet to find a big school but the one I caught were a lot bigger than the one that hang in shallow all summer long.

[Jamesdean]

I have been frequenting a bridge at a limited access lake not far from the house, actually been going, when I can fish, their most of the summer. mostly small fish right over the side and they were white crappie. the last couple times though I notice not so many white crappie but more and more black crappie, and they starting to get some size to them too...least wise a third the size of what we been catching in the summer. I'm wandering if an old sonar unit would work if held at an angle say to 30 degrees to the side instead of just where it reads straight down, as long as the sonar unit is in the water??? guess I'm gonna find out. Yep, looking for fish, but also for bottom contour and structure a bit further than 5' out from the bank. I'll post some pic's of this bridge later, but it has cement walls that the top is approx. 8'-9' from the water, and has a couple points that,s about 30' from the bridge top to the bottom. An acquaintance measured some time back and marked the out side of the bridge. If you don't know where to look, you just don't know as it's not readily known, any way, I guess I'll break out my ond fishfinder 250 and go to checking. This Particular lake has NO size limit on crappie with a limit of 30 per day. I guess because of the limited access many of the fish are not getting very big. Signs posted No Wading, NO swimming, NO boats, kayaks, canoes, or any floating devices to hold people. NO bank fishing south of of the bridge.

I don't understand that as back prior to 1970. I'm told, there was a dock their that you could rent a jon boat at with elec. trolling motors, and even a boat ramp, even though there is no sign of it today...I know the city bought the lake and a lot of the land around it,but has limited access to it....
I go there as I have been using the crappie around that bridge to hone my confidence on catching crappie on soft plastics...