As the water temps cool – and the leaves begin to change – many anglers winterize their boats, wall mount their poles and hunker down until the cold season has long passed – til Spring arrives!  But for Few others… a few minor adjustments to tackle, Sonar units and clothing… and the chase is on!!!

To be sure – transition fishing can be very challenging, but if you know where and what to search for, not only can it yield good numbers of Slabs for the ice chest and kitchen table – it can prove to be one of the most incredible overall fishing experiences the Season has to offer – rivaling the iconic spring spawn.

Transition generally refers to the period when crappies are moving from their summer staging locations to shallower water to feed in preparation for the cooler winter months on approach.

In this  article – I’ll share 4 key factors to consider when chasing transitioning fish that when applied will keep you on top of fish and help increase your catch ratios throughout the transition season.

As was mentioned, transition fishing can be challenging for anglers.  Mainly because it raises one very important question!  where do crappies go in the fall?

Fall Crappie – Why the transition?

One key to finding transition fish is understanding their behavior.

In the spring… crappies want to spawn but they also want to stay protected. So when the water temperature begins to warm, in the spring, we often see crappies push into the shallow covered areas to spawn.

However, coming out of September going into October, when the water temperature cools, signaling the approach of winter, crappies want to feed up to store energy for the winter as quickly as possible while also seeking protection from other predator fish.

Targeting Fall Crappie

Let’s take a look at a few Keys that when applied together can keep you on top of huge schools of fish during the transition.

Bait Fish

Shad are a dominant food source for crappie all year round.  This is especially the case during the transition when crappies are aggressively feeding to build their energy stores for winter.

Shad schools are often found in areas of open water. They can be located near the surface or around structured areas like docks and bridges or covered areas like standing timber or brush piles. 

If Shad or other bait fish are in the area you’re targeting – there is a good chance crappies won’t be far off.

Cover

Crappies relate to cover. Area’s of cover like standing timber, brush piles, stump systems and submerged trees not only provide protection for Crappie, they also provide staging areas to hold up and hide to ambush passing bait fish.

Creek Channel

Creek channels are like the under water jet streams for fish travel. Crappie and other fish use creek channels to get to different parts of the lake quickly.  When feeding becomes a top priority for transitioning fish, creek channels become the autobahn.

Contour

Contour is the lay of the surface floor of the body of water you’re fishing and can be very instrumental in locating transitioning slabs. This is especially true when it, the surface floor, egresses sharply from shallow water to deep water as in the case of steep ledges or bluffs.

Fall Crappie – Putting it All together

 

When targeting crappie during the transition season – I scan areas of creek channels and the surrounding areas until I find shad.

Then I look for submerged cover as well as any associated weed edges adjacent to the channel – the larger the cover or structure the better.

I look for larger laydowns, stumps systems, or submerged trees and brush piles because when situated along a creek channels they’re usually laying in across multiple columns of water and depts. 

This is an important factor in when choosing cover.  In my opinion, the larger pieces laying across different layers of the water column are more likely to hold and more importantly, retain crappie.  This is because areas of cover like this, in many cases, provide more areas to stage as well as offers greater protection from larger predator fish.

Considering these factors and applying them when chasing transition crappie, will not only increase your catches – but can fill your freezer in hurry!!!

Go gett’em and Enjoy!!