Page 11 - Crappie NOW - September 2017

TACKLING TURNOVER TO CATCH FALL CRAPPIE

bait in its strike zone but it is just not that
active. So the lure is just sitting there and
a lot of times the fish just can’t stand it so
it will go ahead and hit the jig.”
When targeting shallow docks
Blankenship prefers shooting his lures to
catch crappie hanging under the dock’s
floatation. His standard dock shooting
setup for turnover crappie is a 3-inch
Slab Slay’R on a 1/16-ounce jighead. He
favors the Slab Slay’R because it skips
well under the dock and is a larger bait
that draws strikes from bigger fish.
While shooting a dock Blankenship
immediately starts retrieving his lure
after it stops skipping because he knows
crappie will be closer to the floatation than
the bottom. He usually retrieves his jig
anywhere from near the surface to about
6 feet deep.
Former Crappie Masters National
Champion Kyle Schoenherr heads in the
opposite direction of Faulkenberry and
Blankenship when the fall turnover occurs
on the clear waters of Kincaid Lake in
Illinois.
Schoenherr can watch his electronics
and see the turnover occurring on his
home lake. “The water temperature on
top will start cooling and you will see the
thermocline change from a defined line Pitching a big jig to hardwood trees in the
to more of a hazy, wavy kind of a deal,” backs of creeks is Truman Lake guide Jeff
he says. Once he sees the thermocline Faulkenberry’s favorite tactic for catching fall
dissipating, Schoenherr knows the turnover crappie.
turnover has begun and crappie will move
from the mid-depth levels to their winter
spots 25 to 30 feet deep.
The Illinois guide concentrates on
main lake structure and looks for any cover
he can find along the bottom. A favorite
hangout for turnover crappie at Kincaid
is an isolated stump about 1 1/2 foot in
diameter and about 2 feet tall sitting in
about 30 feet of water. “Sometimes it
may hold a dozen fish on it,” Schoenherr
says.
Vertical jigging a drop shot rig with
a minnow or slow trolling minnow rigs
produces best for Schoenherr when
turnover crappie move to the deep stumps.

11 Crappie NOW September 2017