Fall fishin for the novice...

[jimmydee1]

OK, to start. What is the general range of water temp before the fish begin to get into short (5'-8') water? Is there much single polin goin on, or is it pretty much pushin jig/minners? In the fall/early winter, do the fish get in shorter water like they can in the spring? Am I correct in assuming that late Oct., Nov. can be pretty good ? then again in Mid Feb.?

We have a good many new posters lately, and I'll ask these questions, assuming that they might be new to crappie fishin. We know that all answers are subject to weather, but with that unknown OUT of the equation, let's help some of these newer guys out with some generalities.

Hope this post isn't redundant or out of line....sorry if it is.

[Speck]

Get a bucket of minners, a few hooks and weights then put em in the water

[Rees Guide]

Best time of the year far as I'm concerned and weather don't seem to effect em as bad as spring time

[pistolpetel]

Thanks for posting about this subject. I'm new to crappie fishing and have more time to read about it then I do to actually get out there and try. I took my boys (ages 5 & 3) this past Saturday to the Rez and we tried pulling cranks with what little equipment I have. We were on the water for only a couple hours before it started getting dark on us. We caught one little white crappie in the first 10 minutes and then only one catfish the rest of the trip. Both were caught on the pink Bandit. No idea how deep though, ha. Had a blast though. Any tips are welcomed and appreciated.

[jimmydee1]

Pistol, glad to hear that you're getting into crappie fishin, especially with the boys. That's why I started the thread....to see if any body like you had any specific questions that we could help you with the learning curve. Speck hit it though....grab minners and head for the water. Lessons learned are often better than lessons you were taught. With each trip you'll get a better feel for the process. You'll learn to look for shad balls, white birds diving (Mississippi fish finders) for shad, water temp, wind direction, fronts moving thru, rain, etc. When I started back on the crappie nine years ago, I kept a notebook journal with some pretty specific notes. Seemed to help till the process became more routine. Find a fishing shop that you like and ask questions bout tackle, jigs, etc. Most people on C.com are MORE than glad to help you when they know you're not just fishing for "honey holes"...lol. Bunch of quality guys here, and they WILL help.

[Donald@CrappieLogic]

single pole fishing is great in the 5 to 8 foot range in the fall the crappie are herding up shad so just try and match the hatch and get thumped good luck to you sir

[Xpressboater]

Great thread!!!!! Do you guys usually jig with tip minnows or or just jigs this time of the year? And also what would be the average depth of water on a day to day bases that you fish this time of the year if your were trolling the flats??

[Snubby]

I always thought crappie went south in the fall thru the winter months?? I always catch whitetail, doves and duck during the late fall and winter months.. on the flats mostly, but sometimes in shaller water... Lol.. :-)

[duckhunter]

October and November are my favorite times to fish the Big 4. Years ago, my Dad and I used to single pole only (didn't know what trolling was, lol). We caught tons of fish fishing in the timber, sometimes as shallow as 3 ft. Of water. I really miss those days fishing with my Dad, but have many good memories. The thump really felt good!

[coolerfull]

Yeah Donnie keep waiting on that invite?