Lowland and Flatland Reservoirs

As fall progresses, crappies may gather into increasingly smaller spaces, as perfect habitat in terms of stability (ideal temperature, pH, forage, current, etc.) gradually dwindles. This congregation continues after conditions stabilize in the North, but crappies may spread out a little more in southern waters. If water temperature steadily dips toward its lowest point of the year, crappies increasingly hold along steeper drops. During cold fronts, the bite doesn’t slow as much in fall, but the fish shift deeper. It becomes increasingly common to find them in brushpiles 20 to 25 feet deep. Old stock dams and levees in the main river channel become key spots. Rocky ledges in the main river channel hold crappies during late fall, as well. But a week or so of mild temperatures can draw them back to shallower brushpiles and, in the North, to weedlines in areas 10 to 12 feet deep near mudflats and other edge areas not necessarily associated with the main river channel. By November, these shallow movements often cease in the North, but they continue on through Christmas in southern impoundments.

What Does It All Mean?

We collected and analyzed data on the catches of many thousands of crappies during the fall period in reservoirs. Looking for trends and tendencies, these were the most obvious:

•The best crappie fishing tends to occur when water temperatures at the surface read between 40°F and 50°F.

•The depth crappies use doesn’t necessarily correspond to water color or light penetration, but they generally go to deeper water as the season progresses.

•They tend to be most catchable when relating to woodcover or steep drops during most of the fall season.

•Crappies are increasingly attracted to steep-breaking areas as water cools. Flats get some use, but movements there can be sporadic, related to stable weather, and short-lived.

•In water less than 44°F, crappies in clear water retain higher activity levels than those in dingy water.

The most telling pattern, however, may be the very unreliablilty of these general trends. Entries exist that contradict each of these tendencies, as day-by-day conditions often override trends. Fish are not automatons, nor creatures of strict habit driven entirely by instinct. In fact, the more we learn about crappies and other species, the more the word ‘instinct’ becomes obsolete. In other words, anglers who learn to expect the unexpected often rise above the rest, in terms of consistency.