Where To Find Fall Slab Crappie..And How To Catch Them

When the holiday season arrives, even slab crappies get in on the holiday feasting.Some of the best fishing of the year for slab crappies occurs in the fall when the fish feast on forage in preparation for winter. On any given day at some of the best crappie fisheries in the country you can catch hundreds of 6-inch paper-thin crappies, but finding the bigger fish presents more of a challenge.

Where To Find Slab Crappie

Sometimes the trick to catching big fish is catching a lot of crappies, but if you keep catching small crappie in one area you need to make a move. Try at least five different spots rather than hanging in one spot all day and hopefully a couple of those spots will produce slabs.Another key to locating slab crappies is to avoid crowds. Search for areas away from boat ramps and marinas where fishing pressure is usually the highest because the biggest fish in those spots are already in someone’s livewell.Flats adjacent to creek or river channels are prime locations to find slab crappies feasting in the fall. Key on any isolated weed patches, stumps or logs for the biggest fish.Although some crappies move to the shallows during fall, the bigger fish tend to hold in deeper water. Bigger crappies prefer a deep comfort zone where they are less affected by the numerous barometric changes throughout autumn and early winter.

How To Catch Slab Crappie

When crappie fishing, brush piles along ledges 12 to 18 feet deep are prime spots to target heavyweight crappies in the fall. Try a vertical presentation with a plastic tube like the Big Bite Baits Crappie Tube rigged on a 1/16-ounce jighead to tempt the fish suspended above the brush or burrowed down in the wood cover. Switch to a 1/8-ounce jig on windy days or if a strong current is present.Boat docks offer an ideal refuge for big crappies in shallow or deep water. Look for the biggest crappie tucked under hard-to-reach spots or around any cobwebs on docks, which indicates no one has fished there lately. Shooting a jig helps you present your lure to slabs hiding in brush at the back of a dock well or in the shade under piers.Frequently changing locations, keying on deeper water and dropping your lures into hard-to-reach spots will result in a livewell full of hefty crappie to take home for a fall feast of your own.