Page 5 - Crappie NOW| October2015

Spots for Fall Action

become fantastic. Crappie love wood like Electronics is critical for finding balls
we enjoy being in or near our house. It’s a of shad in open water. Start by looking
sanctuary. Wood with an ample food source around points because the various depths
is dynamite. makes a point ideal for fish and baitfish.
In general, baitfish move up into the Early mornings and overcast days look for
mid-depth and shallow water in the fall. shallow fish. A bright sun puts them deeper.
Therefore, start your search in these depths After using electronics to find baitfish,
making sure to watch your electronics. use slow trolling methods to put multiple
The best technique is to vertical jig. baits into the water. You can move around
Jigging allows a fisherman to put a bait in to follow the shad. Jigs, minnows and jigs
and out of the wood with the fewest hang- tipped with minnows are all baits to try. Also
ups. A jig is best when fish are active but experiment with different size baits.
a minnow is best when the bites are slow. Ledge Cover
The bait should match the baitfish size but It doesn’t matter which season a
the best color is debatable. Do you want fisherman chooses, a ledge is seldom a
something that looks like the thousands of bad choice. It’s the same in the fall. Crappie
other baitfish in the water? An option would roam and change depths often but they are
be to add orange, chartreuse, pink or other often relating to or are nearby a ledge. For
color to draw attention to the bait. example, this week fish are at 11- to 12-
Open Water Baitfish foot depths but next week they’ll move up

5 Crappie NOW October 2015