Went to the lake Sunday, expecting incredible fishing, water was cooler and figured the fall crappie bite would be epic. Went to all my tried and true spots. Nothing. I have gotten pretty competent using active target 2 to locate crappie and can easily distinguish them from other fish. No way i could have caught them because they simply were not there. Most spots were submerged brushpiles in 10 to 18 ft of water. Saw a few on standing timber and a few on bridge supports but they never bite there. I have never fished fall crappie but were able to do well in the hot summer. Where do they go? In fact, all we caught were bluegill. Please help. Definitely gonna be a river weekend this week but may try a lake the next week.
Wasnt expecting it…..
- Thread starter redblood
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TRIGGER
Well-Known Member
Take this as second hand knowledge but a buddy of mine has been catching them good on and around tall stumps with a hair jig.
I simply could not physically find fish. I scanned tons of stumps but they werent there. I Dont understand. I dont know what they typically do in the fall. Would high pressure and the strong cold front drive them deep? Or do they head to shallow coves ? I have no ide
They will sure humble you from time to time.
TRIGGER
Well-Known Member
My buddy is running the Garmin with the Danny Rogers Visualizer box and says he still has to pull a jig beside the stumps to "bring them out". He said they are tight to the stump or the bottom that just scoping them doesn't work. Take that for what it is.
TITANSFAN2104
Well-Known Member
This was on a brush pile I found back in the summer on priest. We fished it this past friday.
It was loaded with black crappie and we caught around 15 of of it with only a few shorts.
We pulled 7 or 8 big whites of of it back in the summer but it wasn't loaded like this.
It was loaded with black crappie and we caught around 15 of of it with only a few shorts.
We pulled 7 or 8 big whites of of it back in the summer but it wasn't loaded like this.
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Mine have relocated as well. Where they went...I have no idea but I trolled several miles looking and never found them other than a scattered short one here and there. Another important thing that I noticed was missing was bait fish.
Crappieaddict
Well-Known Member
Look near the areas you would find them in Spring. Life has got in the way of my fishing for now, but typically they are following the bait fish migration.
Harold Money jr
Well-Known Member
before I write something like I know it first hand, you should look on MLF's website and read the Mark Davis fall crappie article it talks about extraordinary depth crappie go to in the fall. Although I think they are still transitioning from summer to full blown fall.
One of the smaller lakes I fish is like that.
I have spent like an hour just moving along scanning and see ZERO fish other than the occasional suspended single fish, that I assume are bass.
It's like they disappear.
Very odd deal sometimes.
I have spent like an hour just moving along scanning and see ZERO fish other than the occasional suspended single fish, that I assume are bass.
It's like they disappear.
Very odd deal sometimes.
you have it backwards. fish go deep in low pressure conditions and suspend or on bottom near cover shallower in higher pressure conditions. most folks dont realize that crappie move a lot, a lot more during a sharp rise or fall in pressure. tomorrow and friday will be killer days. 29.7 to 30.2 is considered stable.
dont really know where you fish and what type of lake and crappie you target so itd be hard for most on here to give you some tips.
ifin it were me id sidescan/downscan the ledge breaks for cover, mark them and then check them with FFS and then move up to the flats if you dont find them there. i wouldnt overlook docks this time of year for blacks either. again a hundred foot deep highland lake or a natural basin lake will be different more than likely.
the fall bite here on ky lake wont start until the surface temps get around 60 down to close to 50. about the same for pre-spawn feed in the spring. this morning it was 72.
dont really know where you fish and what type of lake and crappie you target so itd be hard for most on here to give you some tips.
ifin it were me id sidescan/downscan the ledge breaks for cover, mark them and then check them with FFS and then move up to the flats if you dont find them there. i wouldnt overlook docks this time of year for blacks either. again a hundred foot deep highland lake or a natural basin lake will be different more than likely.
the fall bite here on ky lake wont start until the surface temps get around 60 down to close to 50. about the same for pre-spawn feed in the spring. this morning it was 72.
Thanks for the kind words about the visualizer box. @redblood danny sells one for the active target also.We are out of the shop this week though.We are at a dealer show at willow oak lodge,timmy hortons place.
Well i was humbled for sure. My fishing buddy requested a river trip this weekend. Those fish arent picky!
Our mini fall break starts next friday. Holing the fish will shift back to the usual
Spots by then
Our mini fall break starts next friday. Holing the fish will shift back to the usual
Spots by then
Thank you. I have an AT 2 . I love it. Looks a little different than the garmin. I think the AT 2 is better for locating school- they show up like Christmas lights- we call em blinkers. But the garmin seems to be better for those who want to watch the fish bite the bait. But i have no idea what a visualizer box is /does?
Which one I'd better I don't have a honest opinion from myself.But everyone we know who started with the active target usually end up with the livescope later on and they say it's better.I try not to give a personal opinion unless I have lots of hours use with both products.Jake lawrence,he's been winning a lot of bass tournaments the last month,chase Petty won wally Marshall's crappie expo a couple weeks ago are some of the guys running our visualizer.On the livescope it makes it a little clearer farther out and helps separate fish from the bottom when they are on the bottom.Heres a link but we don't advertise the one for Lowrance ,gotta call and order if interested.
https://performancefishingelectronics.com/products/the-vizualizer-for-livescope
I went back yesterday and crappie were on my trees. But...all summer long, all I was catching were white crappie. Yesterday all I caught were black crappie and not a single white.
Im sure its whatever you are used to and how you fish. Im building a jet river rig and will be adding another unit. So i may end up with a livescope too, although im so use to my lowrance it may be a hard switch. Is the lowrance visualizer priced the same as the garmin
Yep priced the same as the garmin.
Separating fish from the bottom it does with livescope.I have never saw it first hand on the active target,but we have testers they say it does the same with active target.
i usually catch all my fish suspended at the top of structure. I will have to pay more attention to the fish at the bottom. I always kind of figured they didnt want to play anyway
You ever heard of Hayden jefferies,crappie tournament fisherman.The crappie master elite started with a mlf format,weighing any fish over a lb.Hayden won the first tournament beating second place by over 100lbs.The second elite he won that one also beating 2nd place by over 200lb.Guys started calling us saying Hayden has to have something he's catching fish around us and we are not seeing any.Thats how the visualizer came about
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I have not. I didn't even know competitive crappie fishing was a thing until recently. Im definitely gonna order one. I dont care a thing about the long pole , scooping em up without reeling method- but would like the clearest image far away. I like to locate, back off to 40 ft and cast to them with ultralight tackle. If it will help me in that endeavor, im game
Urban_Hunter
Well-Known Member
Why does he run the 32 instead of the 34?
34 has a small delay I bet iis the reason.Have a buddy that has 2 on his trolling motor.He has a 32 and 34 and when he runs both split screen you can see the small delay.The delay is so small most would rather have the delay.
