Fall Crappie Fishing Update

Hey everyone,
It's rlt again and I just wanted to give my fellow crappie fishermen a little update on the current surface water temperatures here in West central Alabama. The early morning surface water temperatures are ranging around 77 to 78 degrees and warming back up to around 81 to 82 degrees by mid-day. If we keep getting these 50 degree nights the surface temperature will start to lower even more. My past experience with Fall crappie fishing is that when the surface water temperature drops below the 70 degree mark it's time for some very good fishing. The bait fish move into the sloughs off of the main river and the crappie will follow and the fish are very hungry and will stay in the sloughs until the water temperature drops below the 50 degree mark, at which time most of the bigger fish will migrate back to the deep water drop offs in the main river and stay there until early Spring.
If we can get another 10 to 12 degree drop in the surface water temperature the crappie will increase their feeding habits to stock up on food for the Winter.
Gone Fishing,
rlt

Last edited by rlt on Thu Oct 02, 2008 12:11 pm; edited 1 time in total

We've never even met, and you're going to put me on some fish yet!

Thanks for another great heads-up. Hopefully you'll get your temperature drop by the peak days you outline in your other post.

This board doesn;t seem very active any more but I'm looking for some crappie fishing info. Maybe try here https://fishmasters.com/best-crappie-fishing-lures/