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Hey y'all, hope you’ve been whackin' a bunch of slabs! Back with another Target Crappie – and as you read this I'm in MN. Stopped by this tackle shop in Brainerd, and had to snap a pic because I've never seen anyone advertise minnows as "unemployed." 🤣

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4 Qs with Mark Rose about the fall transition

AR's Mark Rose is one of the most well-known bass fishing pros out there – BUT he has a secret love, which you can see from the above pic! He said:

> "I've been doing this for 45 years. I've been crappie fishing when crappie fishing wasn't cool. There were a couple lakes I'd fish in the winter where me and Bill Dance would be the only 2 crappie fishermen out there all winter long."

Mark is ate up with crappie fishing, so I gave him a call to talk about the fall transition. Here's 4 with him:

1. When it starts to cool off, are you changing how you fish right away? Or is it more of a slow transition as the water starts cooling?

> "It starts out slow from right now...through Oct – just slow transitions. Then comes Nov, when that water temperature starts getting more into the 60s and starts dropping faster, and the nights even start getting into the 50s. Man, that's when the good stuff comes along.

> "That's when [crappie] really group up, the bait groups up, and crappie do whatever the bait does.

> "They don't just start grouping up because they're cold outside and want to get by the campfire. They group up because that's what the bait is doing, and they're traveling around in schools feeding on big schools of bait.

> "When Nov comes around, that's when I really change from brush and cover to 100% concentrating on balls of shad. Stay in the biggest group of shad, and you're going to stay in the biggest group of crappie."

2. Is there a way to look at a map and pick out high-percentage areas where crappie will be chasing bait balls?

> "It used to be more out over deep-water channels and guts in the backs. It seemed like as far back in a creek as I could get that still had a defined deep gut, so to speak. But now I'm finding them more out in the creek and more out in the lake.

> "Not saying this is good or bad – with [live sonar] having its influence on fishing, they're liable to be anywhere because they're just feeding.

> "Last year I found that the later I fished, especially if I was near a light and fished on into the night, the better it got. I think a lot of crappie are getting to be like mature deer, where we're going to find out they're doing a lot of their feeding at night."

3. Why do crappie and shad tend to move shallower or farther into the creeks during that fall transition?

> "It's the water temperature. The colder nights are going to penetrate that water, and they're going to want to be up higher where that cooler water is first.

> "It's the same thing with the shad. The shad are going to want to be on those flats. 

> "For instance, if it's freezing and the water temperature is in the 30s or 40s, then you get a 60-degree, sunny winter day, the warmest water is going to be near the surface.

> "It's the same way in the fall. The cooler water is going to be near the surface, which is going to be 'shallower' water, and that's due to those cooler nights penetrating that warmer water."

4. Does your bait selection change when you go from target-oriented fish around cover to open-water fish?

> "That's usually all dependent on water color. The only time I get away from a shad imitator – my favorite lures are a [Mr. Crappie] Lightning Shad and Shadpole – is around the spawn, when I love a [Mr. Crappie] Joker.

> "In real gin-clear water, I'm throwing more of a transparent, see-through shad color. In darker water, I go more toward chartreuse, chart/white, black/chart, that kind of thing."

Mark's crappie setup

> Mr. Crappie Lightning Shad or Mr. Crappie Joker, 1/16-oz Mr. Crappie jighead, 4-lb Seaguar Brawlr mono [more on that in #2!].

> "...a 6' ML Lew's LFS [Spin Rod]. The last couple years I've been using the Custom Lite 100 [Spin Reel], and now I just got the HyperMag 100. Let me tell you something – it's bad to the bone. That drag is like butter."

Mark talks fishing the new/not available yet Seaguar Brawlr mono

I asked Mark about him using Seaguar's ultra thin JDM PEX8 braid for crappie since I saw a Seaguar post that talked about him using it. He said he likes that braid to a fluoro leader when he's chasing "super-nomadic fish" that he has to stay real far away from and make super long casts.

But he said since he got his hands on the new/upcoming Seaguar Bralwr mono, it's been the deal for his crappie-chasin'. Why:

> "If I'm in the wind a lot and feel like I'm getting more wind knots, I'll go to straight mono.

> "I've been having to use different monos, and I'm so excited about this new Brawlr. It's awesome. The 4-lb Brawlr is the best monofilament for crappie that I have ever used in my life.

> "I throw 4 and 6 [lb] mostly – 6 through the middle part of the year and summer, but I'll throw 4 all winter long. The way it lays on a reel, it's just a more forgiving line.

> [Brawlr] is a little more abrasion-resistant on crappie teeth. A lot of times when they're eating it, you're catching those 1.5-2-lbers and they're eating it good – that line is rubbing against their teeth the whole time. With that mono, it's more abrasion resistant.

> "It lays better over time too. It seems like the longer you leave it on [the reel], the better it wears. You just keep it on there until you break some off on a stump or use up your line.

> "I'll [somtimes] throw PEX8 braid with a 4-lb fluorocarbon leader. But to be honest with you, I can use 4-lb Brawlr 100% of the time and be just perfect, in my opinion, for one-line crappie fishing."

Look for Brawlr to come out late this year or early next!

4 Qs with Matthew Rogers

It’s still hot, so it's still summer fishing! Had an opportunity to get some timely 🧃 from Matthew, a respected MO pro, so here we go – talkin' the things we HAVE TO be paying attention to right now:

1. When crappie are really finicky and people are struggling to catch limits, what are a couple of details that are almost make-or-break right now?

> "...I'm going to be using either straight fluoro or braid to a fluoro leader, and I'm downsizing the weight that I'm using. On the Bonehead Tangle-Free Weight, I'm dropping it down to a 1/4-oz because most of these fish are tight to structure.

> "I'm also downsizing my baits. I'm using a 1/32- to 1/16-oz jig. I'm not doing any tight-lining with a 1/8- or 1/4-oz or anything like that.

> "Early in the morning, if you get out before the sun gets real high, you can find some fish out there chasing shad around. Those fish, you can use a 1/4- or an 1/8-oz [jighead], or you can use a 1/2-oz weight above a 1/16- or 1/32-oz jighead with a bigger-profile bait, like a full-size 2-inch [BoneHead Tackle] Crappie Minnow – not cut down or anything.

> "...once those fish move to the structure after the sun gets up, you're going to have to downsize everything. Right off the get-go, I'm probably going to start with a 1/32-oz hair jig just because it's a little more subtle.

> "Not only do I want it to be a 1/32, I like a little shorter, compact profile, and I like the tail cut down. Whether you tie it with a short tail or trim the tail up, I want that hook really close to the end of the bait because when they bump it just out of curiosity, they're a lot more likely to get that hook."

2. How much does color matter right now?

> "It just depends on your water clarity. In the high sun, I like to use white and chartreuse. Whenever it's cloudy out or early in the morning, I go with a slightly darker color that they can outline against the [low] light.

> "As that sun comes up and gets higher in the sky, I switch to an even brighter color...white and chartreuse, orange and chartreuse, pink and chartreuse or even blue and chartreuse. I have some kind of chartreuse in there regardless."

3. Is there a time and place when you want a straight-tail bait vs a fork- or split-tail bait?

> "This time of the year, I'm using a straight tail. In the spring when they get up shallow, I'll use stuff like the [BoneHead Tackle] Stump Bug, or just anything with a split tail that kind of resembles more of a bug.

> "For the most part, they're eating shad right now, and that's what I'm going to stick to.

> "A month and a half ago, 2 months ago, you're running into the mayfly hatch. That is when the Stump Bug is an amazing bait.

> "There's fish that still stay out there on the shad, and then there's another class of fish that will move up into the shallower water and hang out around pretty shallow stumps – 2, 3, 4' of water. But it's specifically because of the mayfly hatch. That's late May, early June.

[That mayfly hatch and stump bug deal may be something to pay attention to right now too – both Matthew and I saw a late-summer hatch this year. 👀]

> "Then that kind of disintegrates, and I just switch over and focus on fish that are deeper and eating shad [and] go right back to the shad-profile baits."

4. Why is downsizing your weight so important when those summer crappie get finicky?

> "Their metabolism is slowed down, so they don't exert near as much energy whenever they eat.

> "There are 2 ways you can look at that: You can either go finesse-style, or you can go to a bigger profile that causes a reaction. 

> "But 9 out of 10 fish are going to barely bump it, so you go ahead and have that smaller weight on there.

> "That's less resistance whenever they suck it in, and it can get in their mouth a little bit further than what a 1/8-oz or a 1/4-oz [jighead] will."

Get up a creek this fall? 🍂

It ain't cooling off yet – at all 🥵 – but fall is still right around the corner so we gotta sprinkle in some fall talk to prep...although word from the never-accurate weather folks is that the South is supposed to have some crazy winter weather. So maybe we'll be going straight from summer stuff to the wintering holes!

No clue Uncle Eddie – time will tell! In the meantime, check out some fall fishing 🧃 from a Lurenet post with MO guide Terry Blankenship on where to go when it starts cooling off for you:

> Terry has found that the shallower water in the backs of feeder creeks cools down quicker than the main lake, which triggers the fall crappie transition...draw both baitfish and crappie to the backs of the feeder creeks. 

> "The baitfish – shad and minnows – are like all the gamefish, so they want to go to the most comfortable water and come to the cooler water of the creeks as well.

> "Typically, the bigger crappie know where the smorgasbords are at...the fact that this creek's water cools the quickest and the crappie start migrating to it."

> Even though the water temperature in the backs of the creeks is in the high 80s, the springs and current make the upper creek a few degrees cooler than the main lake and lower ends of the creeks.

> [Up in the creeks] he usually starts fishing at depths of 12-15' and keeps moving shallower until he starts catching crappie. As the creek narrows, he will move as shallow as his boat allows. 

> "I have actually had to drag the bottom with my boat a little bit to get into some holes. Sometimes I can get into some of these creek arms and find I might have to go through some shallower water to get to a deeper pocket."

> In the upper end of the creek, he makes short pitches to visible cover to keep his lures close to the wood. If the crappie are holding tight to the shallow wood, he presents his jigs vertically to the inactive fish.

> The upper end of a feeder creek usually contains newly hatched shad, so [he] tries to match the hatch [using a] Bobby Garland Itty Bits and Slab Stalk'Rs with a 1/16- or 1/24-oz jighead.

> When he fishes the middle section of a feeder creek – [he's casting] to open-water crappie with a Baby Shad or Baby Shad Swim'R on a 1/16-oz jighead or sets the same lures under a bobber. 

Does that make you feel a little better Uncle Eddie?

How 'bout some Landscape crappie!

That's a little clip from a crappie trip on Sam Rayburn, TX – just fuels my addiction to using Humminbird MEGA Live 2 in Landscape mode for finding wads of crappie!

Those shapes that look like they have Christmas lights on 'em right around the edge of the black circle near the bottom of the screen are a few brushpiles LOADED with crappie.

When I'm not using MEGA Live 2 in Landscape to pan for suspended fish, I like it in situations like this where multiple targets are in one area. Seeing which targets actually have a higher density of fish – or any fish at all – helps sort through areas faster.

Another niche deal that has definitely helped me with guiding is when there's fish on a piece of timber at a 45-degree angle. Those fish will move up and down on that target, and ML2 helps me keep my clients and family making productive casts.

It's a sweet deal! And btw, on the lookout here soon – there's some BIG news coming from Johnson Outdoors, the parent company of Humminbird and Minn Kota.

1. BaitFuel NanoSpikes out for the purchasin'!

Check 'em out here on the BaitFuel site and check out a recent Target Crappie for a starting point on how to fish 'em.

Would love to hear how you're using 'em!

2. AR: Crappie bite on 🔥 on...

> Millwood Lake: Crappie good early morning through 11am on standing timber in 10-15' with jigs, minnows and grubs. 'Electric chicken', 'monkey milk' and 'firecracker' have been good colors, with several recent mornings producing 30-60 fish limits for clients.

> Peckerwood Lake: Anglers are wearing 'em out with low water exposing the stumps and making the main channel easy to find. Fish are holding right on the edge of the channel and jigs have been the bait of choice.

> Little Maumelle River: Anglers have been catching near-limits despite the heat. A black-and-chartreuse jig around 5' has been producing.

3. IA: Cedar River bite going down in the backwaters

4. IA: Springs Lake size and # limits removed

DNR removed all size and daily harvest limits through Oct 30. The change comes ahead of a lake reno prompted by invasive carp and poor water quality.

5. GA: Crappie bite going down on...

> Lake Walter F George: Crappie catches have been good on brushpiles and timber in 10-15'. Bright-colored 1/8-oz jigs are getting more bites than plain or natural colors.

> Lake Blackshear: 1.75" BoaterFlip Baits Adrenaline Junkies Pintail Minnows are reportedly the hottest crappie jig on the lake right now.

> Lake Seminole: Crappie bite is on fire early in the day before getting tougher later. Screamer Jigs in 'monkey milk' and 'blue monkey'....

> Silver Lake PFA: Fishing has been good, with dock lights holding crappie and big bluegills.

6. SD: Lake Butte has dried up

Long known as a convenient fishing and camping getaway for area families, the lake once held thriving populations of walleye, northern pike, crappie, and channel catfish.

Bad deal – it's only 4' at its deepest point now.

7. Check out this sweet rig 👀

Posted by Indy Fishing – that's a 2" Deps Sakamata Shad on the back of a Zappu Micro Bredy underspin.

That taller jighead is made to lower the center of gravity of the bait so it stays horizontal whether you're casting or vertical fishing. Check it out here on Tackle Warehouse!

Go smaller on minnows in the heat

Makes sense if you're already doing it with your jigs! Here's Caleb Hensley in a recent 903 Fishing YouTube vid on why:

> "I can't stress to you enough – a lot of people complain about how small their minnows are in the summer. That's what you want. You don't want a big giant...minnow in the summertime.

> "Think about it. You're all hot in the summer. You're working outside. You're hot. You want to come in and just eat a big ol' meal? Most people don't. I don't. ...you just want a little snack or something like that.

> "Well that's how these crappie feel. They're hot. They're lethargic. They don't want to move for their bait. Giving them a smaller bait, just a little snack, they're more than likely to commit to that vs a big meal."

Just be prepared to tip the folks at the tackle shop well for making them dig out all the small minnows at 6:30am. 🤣

"I've spent a lot of time actually looking for these fish, and I'm honestly amazed at just how many crappies are out there that everyone is driving right over every single day!"

– WI's Thomas Droste in a Team Walleye guide service post talking about all the crappie in their "walleye lakes"! Ain't gotta go far for slabs man! 😂

Feast your eyes on these 'junebug' crankbaits from Delta's Custom Crappie Crankbaits. 👀 I'd hate for one of those beauts to find a stump!

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH