Crappie Fishing Tactics For Fall Crappie

Next to Spring, Fall can be the most productive time to be out on the lake fishing for Crappie. The water is cooling off and Crappie feed more and more aggressive. Crappie fishing in the Fall is some of the most enjoyable and fruitful fishing of the year.

After the first few cold fronts of the Fall move through your area, look for feeding Crappie near the first drop off away from the bank. If you're fishing a South shore, you may find Fall Crappie even shallower than that. South shores typically heat up quicker and therefor attract baitfish. Where you find baitfish, you'll soon find hungry Crappie right behind them.

Fall Crappie can be caught with a variety of tactics in the Fall. One method I use to find Crappie when they're scattered is using a Spider Rig. A Spider Rig consist of multiple rods rigged up to fish different depths. When you find Crappie hitting at a certain depth with this method, you can then set all your rods to the depth Crappie are feeding at and take advantage of their aggressive nature.

As most of you know, the best time to go fishing in the Fall is just prior to a major cold front. This is the time you can find Crappie very shallow filling up their stomachs on everything from Shad to insects.

As the front passes, expect the Crappie to move back off the bank, possibly as far back to their deep water drop off.

If you're having trouble finding Fall Crappie after a cold front. Slow down your presentation and use smaller jigs or minnows. Post cold front Crappie won't chase bait very far, so make sure you put it right in front of their face. If you find them holding over a break or drop off, use a tightline approach to target feeding Crappie.

The good news about Fall cold fronts is that typically the cold weather doesn't last long. If Crappie turn off feeding for a few cold days, be back on the lake when the weather starts warming up. The Crappie will be turned on and feeding heavily. Make sure you're there to take advantage of this feeding frenzy.

When the South winds start pushing baitfish against South shorelines, you can find Crappie by using a float and jig setup. You can fish faster with jigs than minnows plus you don't have to worry about a Crappie knocking your minnow off a hook. If you find the Crappie spread out, you should switch to a Spider Rig to snatch up the Crappie.