Page 10 - Crappie NOW - October 2017

NORTHERN TACTICS FOR FALL CRAPPIE
Champy’s log body creates a good
structure. However, he appears to be
sliding up behind me possibly to steal a
few fish or bite off my head, I’m not sure.
(Jamie Vladyka photo)
should be light and unobtrusive. It’s also a
good idea to make your initial presentations
from a decent distance -- that unfixed span
depending on water depth and clarity.
I like a toss a light bladed jig and soft
plastic, such as a Road Runner, or a wobbling
minnow lure in strategic spots around
temporary cover. I begin by working the
outer edges then work my way back into the
cover if possible. Also with something like an
embedded log I want to work the sides with
efficiency, bring the bait close to and alongside
the length of cover. You never know where a
big crappie might be hanging out but always
work shaded areas with particular care.
How long this particular Champy’s
sculpture stayed viable I can’t say but that is
the case with many a piece of debris, either
a collection of logs, branches, and uprooted
tree roots that temporary wedges themselves
into an otherwise good holding area.
All of these temporary covers, whether
10 Crappie NOW October 2017
out in open water or along a shoreline, are
good places to fish for crappie that may be
moving in some migrational transition.
Of course not all October-November
locations are temporary. Some such as ledges
and channel walls are downright permanent,
or as permanent as Mother Nature allows.
Also the permanents are found in both large
and mid-size lakes.
Like the Loch Ness Monster,
Champy is rumored to be some
sort of pre-historic creature that
lives deep in the gargantuan
lake.
As the crow flies Lake St. Catherine
is little more than a thirty-minute bird flight
from Champlain. But at a little over 900 acres
with two wide ends and a narrow middle St.
Catherine is a world of difference from the
former sea. A standout feature on this lake is
the tight mapped isobars representing step
drop-offs on both the east and west side of
the lake (which primarily runs north to south).