Cooling water temps, changing crappie...?

Anyone else from VT around here?
:)
I imagine similar changes are happening in NH, MA, and NY by now. The air is getting cold and so is the water.

Even before it got cold-- we had a HOT labor day weekend-- the bite seemed to change. The only way I could catch them was to get right into the cover, and fish almost to the bottom.

Since then, I've managed to get skunked a few times. Granted, I tried some new water that I wasn't even sure held them, but even in some of my reliable spots I couldn't catch more than one.

Saturday I took a day off from crappie, and went after Adirondack brook trout. I carried my canoe 2 miles uphill to a remote pond. Ironically, the water was still too warm to bring the brookies out of the depths, and I was skunked again. I hiked out in time for sunset and tried an Adirondack pond that was said to hold crappies-- no luck there either, except for bass which I don't count ;)

Sunday started cold and blustery, but I was determined to go out. I started before dawn and went until after dark. I fished 4 different water bodies- some shallow and mucky, some deep and crystal clear. I managed to catch one stunted crappie all day.

So finally on Tuesday I just had to break my skunking streak, and I went to a nearby lake that I know holds a TON of barely keeper crappie (8"). I caught a mess, almost to the bottom in 10-15' of water. Just ate the last of 'em for breakfast.

I'm fishing in a canoe. No fishfinder, no trolling motor. Any tips for me? I'm thinking it's time to find their fall spots? This is my first year fishing crappie (I started through the ice in April) so I don't know what to expect from fall.

A lot of the information I find seems to come from southern climates, and I'm hoping to hear some local advice. Are they moving to different spots, or just hunkering down deep in the same spots?