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It’s a crisp November day, and Derek Samson and I’ve a college of black crappie all to ourselves. The fish are suspending up 10 ft off backside over a 30-foot deep flat. Samson is vertically jigging and video-gaming fish utilizing the console’s sonar. I’m casting a Williams Ice Jig off the bow. I let the spoon freefall for 10 seconds, then start a retrieve of 12-inch lifts and pauses to let it flutter down tantalizingly.
It doesn’t take lengthy for a crappie to chew and we have one other fish aboard for tonight’s supper. As I drop my catch into the livewell, he tosses in one other. “Doubleheader,” he says with a chuckle. It will not be the final time we doubled up that day.
Chasing deep-water crappie in autumn provides the proper mixture of problem and reward in my ebook. If I’ve piqued your curiosity, right here’s what you want to know to get on this enjoyable late-season chew.
Places and depths
There are two widespread patterns on the subject of autumn crappie areas in lakes. One is fish relate to deep, wholesome vegetation near deep water. The opposite, and our focus right here, is fish orienting round buildings and flats in 15 to 30-plus ft of water.
Mike Miller:
“In October and November, I’ve deer on the mind, so I’d be mendacity if I stated I’m an skilled at fall crappie; nonetheless, I do have a technique for them solely as a result of I wish to get out and discover some spots for ice fishing earlier than freeze up,” stated Mike Miller, host of Angler & Hunter Tv. “When the water drops into the 40s, I nearly at all times discover colleges of crappies on exterior weed edges nearest the deepest break, normally 16 to 19 ft.”
Miller finds that crappie want the breaks of factors truly fizzling out flats in addition to the steep drop-offs of saddles connecting to the final areas the place weed progress happens earlier than the basin. Usually fishing throughout noon (when he’s not in a deer stand), he frequently catches crappie from the underside of the break. Late afternoon till night, he notes crappie could slide up and place alongside deep weed edges.
Rob Jackson:
Southeastern Ontario fishing information Rob Jackson isn’t any stranger to catching fall crappie. He, too, catches deep crappie round buildings jutting into the basin.
“Discovering underwater rocky factors is necessary,” he stated. “I usually catch them on the second drop, the place it sort of steps down from 15 to 30 ft earlier than it goes into the basin.”
Travis Stromness:
For Travis Stromness of Dryden, rocky factors, remoted islands, and reefs close to deep basin flats are widespread hangouts for crappie throughout autumn in Sundown Nation lakes. These buildings maintain bait and crappie as they transition from their summer season areas, consisting of bays and factors, to deeper flats and holes the place they’ll spend winter, he explains.
“You can begin shallow in early fall, trying in 12 to fifteen ft for suspended fish,” Stromness stated. “In a while, I’ll be trying in that 15 to 23-foot vary, and probably deeper relying on the water physique.”
By late fall, Stromness is catching crappie from deep mud flats within the 20 to 25-foot vary. Crappie collect round delicate rises, ridges, and holes positioned on the dishpan terrain.
Sonar work
It’s good to use sonar. Conventional 2D sonar, together with side-imaging sonar (you probably have it), is necessary for locating fall crappie. In the event you’ve ice-fished for crappie on deep construction, you already know they are often glued to backside or suspended. Maintain each eventualities in thoughts when surveying areas. Be looking out, too, for education baitfish.
Use a GPS with lake contour maps to get on factors, saddles, reefs, and different buildings close to the basin. Maps will even reveal the 20 to 30-foot flats, however hardly ever reveal the delicate options recognized to pay attention crappie.
“Lakemaster or Navionics charting doesn’t present you these small rises or holes. It takes time to seek out these candy spots,” Stromness stated.
Use waypoints to save lots of the placement of fish-holding gems. I additionally discover my chartplotter’s boat path function is a helpful visible for deciphering crappie motion patterns on deep flats.
Baits
Mike Miller:
“I truly fish them the identical manner I’d by the ice, VMC Tungsten Nymph and Luv Bug jigs and small Rapala Slab Raps fished vertically proper overtop of them,” Miller stated. “I take advantage of my Humminbirds to seek out ‘em and Minn Kota’s Spot-Lock function to remain over them. It’s like my Lund is a conveyable ice shack.”
Tim Allard:
I additionally catch fall crappie utilizing varied ice-fishing lures. I begin with 1.5 to three-inch minnow imitating baits to attraction to aggressive fish. A Rapala Jigging Rap (dimension 3), or the same gliding lure, together with jigging spoons are good locations to start out.
A lift-fall-pause-shake sequence is commonly all that’s wanted to persuade a crappie to chew. Count on strikes because the lure falls or because it involves relaxation.
Jigs additionally put lots of crappie in my boat. When crappie are fired up, they’ll eat a three-inch plastic. I’ve had success with Berkley PowerBait TwitchTail Minnows, Berkley MaxScent Minnows and Z-Man Hula Stickz trimmed down. If unsuccessful, I’ll downsize and comply with the same troubleshooting sequence as Stromness (see beneath). Having pals within the boat experimenting with completely different baits quickens this course of.
Rob Jackson:
When crappie are tight to backside, Jackson says drop-shotting is efficient. He runs a #1 hook about 18 inches off backside. A small reside minnow on this rig is irresistible. He additionally drop-shots a three-inch Berkley Gulp! Minnow. The bogus catches loads of crappie and is extra sturdy than reside bait.
“Minnows are nice if you’ll be able to get them and preserve them,” Stromness stated. “I’ll go as huge as a medium grade minnow on a 1⁄8-ounce jig when I’m looking for these hungry, jumbo crappie.”
Travis Stromness:
Nymphs and different invertebrates comprise a lot of a crappie’s weight loss program within the lakes Stromness fishes. Not surprisingly, he does properly with one and-a-half to two-inch tubes, minnows, crayfish, and different buggy profiled plastics fished on 1⁄16 and 1⁄8-ounce heads. Tied jigs additionally issue closely in his arsenal.
Keep above them
“It is very important perceive that crappie feed upward, so that you need to at all times preserve your bait above their head slightly than bouncing backside such as you would for walleyes,” Stromness stated. Working the bait a number of ft above the herd attracts fish up and out of the college, which implies a hooked fish is much less more likely to spook the herd.
There are exceptions, although. Impartial temper crappie can require extra finessing and is probably not involved in rising far to strike a bait. On this case, begin a number of ft over the fish, then progressively drop the presentation nearer to the fish till you attain the strike zone.
3 baits for casting
After you’ve vertically jigged crappie for some time, the motion can wane. Attempt making just a few casts earlier than shifting on. Pitching and retrieving a lure reveals fish one thing completely different. Additionally strive staying again from a college and tossing a bait to them.
Suspending crappie will strike varied lures retrieved over their heads. Just a few I’ve had good success with just lately are the Williams Ice Jig (aspect hooks eliminated), Lunkerhunt Huge Eye tail spin, VMC Scorching Skirt Glow Jig, and the soft-plastic and jig mixtures famous above.
It will possibly take some time to determine the perfect retrieve. A gradual one to two-foot elevate adopted by a managed fall is one confirmed cadence. Gradual reeling and flippantly nodding the rod tip can also be potent.
You must put within the time
“It’s okay to have gradual days,” Stromness stated. “It lets you exclude the lifeless water and work in the direction of discovering the productive areas of a lake.”
I couldn’t agree extra and have been humbled by crappie previously. What’s necessary to remember, to paraphrase Miller, is you don’t must be an skilled to get on a crappie chew in autumn. Decide to placing within the time to discover deep buildings and flats, and shortly sufficient you’ll be rewarded with incredible fall fishing and attractive fillets for the frying pan.
Catch & preserve
Anglers should pay attention to the potential dangers of barotrauma when catching crappie from deep water. Hooking fish off ledges in 16 to 19 ft of water is one factor, however bringing up a crappie from 30 ft is one other and more likely to finish badly for the fish if launched. Plan to reap sufficient deep-caught fish for a meal, then transfer and check out discovering them round weed edges, change to a different species, or head to your deer stand.
Initially printed within the Fall 2022 challenge of Ontario OUT of DOORS
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