Tim Huffman fishes deep ledges, cove mouths and bridges for fall reservoir crappies.

Good crappie spots are precious gifts. Like houses—location, location, location determines a spot’s value. Finding one means fast action and a cooler full of good eating.

Deep ledges

“Deep ledges are potential winter hotspots in most waters across the country,” says tournament angler Dan Dannenmueller. “Missouri, Illinois or Alabama, it doesn’t matter—crappies like deep ledges.

“Deep is relative, but fall crappies will usually be 8 to 15 feet deep. By November and December, I find 15 to 30 feet is a good range in the waters I fish. Crappies are there because it is a comfort zone and will have baitfish.”

Dannenmueller spider rigs using high-tech electronics. He moves slowly along the ledge. Crappies may be roaming in fall, but by winter they will be hugging tight to logs, laydowns or other combinations of wood cover. Shad roaming the area is a huge, positive factor. He recommends keeping moving along at a slow pace, but it’s okay to stop when electronics show something that’s holding fish.

“I give crappies live meat at this time of year, with minnows playing an important part. I will be using B’n’M double-hook minnow rigs to offer two baits per line. Or, I may be tipping a Bobby Garland jig with a minnow. The tipped jig has the advantage of getting deeper into the cover with fewer hang-ups.

“In the fall, crappies will be up on shallower ledges or suspended up. As water gets cold, they will get a little deeper and they slow down. It’s important to be patient. A fish might require you to leave the bait still for a long time to entice a strike.”

Creek and cove mouths

Three-time Classic Champ Charles Bunting from Missouri says crappies suspend out in the mouths of creeks and coves during late fall and winter. He catches them by slow trolling with multiple poles or by LiveScoping with one pole.

“The two techniques I use work on most lakes,” says Bunting. “The fish will suspend up on wood or out in open water, often 10 or 12 feet deep over 25 to 35 feet of water. I’ve overlooked these fish for years, but LiveScope has shown us so many things, and fish suspended in cove mouths is one of them. The largest crappies will be in open water, not on the brush.”

For pitching and jigging, Bunting’s pick is a 13-foot rod with 6-pound-test Vicious line and a 1/8-ounce Whack’em head with a Muddy Water plastic body. He starts by casting and follows up with a vertical presentation. The bait is presented slowly or held still right over their heads.

Bunting says that every body of water is different, so depths will be different. Late fall and winter is a great time to catch numbers of fish, but finding them and dialing in the right bait can be tricky. Also, he says to tip jigs with minnows for more bites.

Bridges

Bridges can be awesome holding areas when the water turns cool or cold. Hugh Krutz says it’s no secret that bridges create a bottleneck that forces baitfish and predator fish into a tighter area above, below and under a bridge.

“Several things are important for success,” says Krutz. “First is current. Too much or too little pushes fish away from the bridge, so a mild current is what you need.

“I still prefer old-fashioned spider rigging with multiple poles. I use 16-foot poles and Capps/Coleman double-hook minnow rigs. It’s easy to move around, slowly working the big holes below the bridge, and work the concrete pilings under the bridge using this method. Speed will be from slow to very slow in cold water.”

Krutz says that fisherman can likely find good spots quickly because bridges draw crowds of fishermen. Fish will usually be concentrated somewhere around the bridge, and so will fishermen. He says not to crowd others, but you must get where the fish are located, so everyone eases in.

Other spots

Late-fall and early-winter crappies will be in different places based upon whether you’re fishing a northern or southern lake, deep or shallow, and whether it has open or cover. When available, creek channels with nearby flats are good places to try in late fall. Crappies move up on the flats to feed, and then go back down into the channel. Fish may suspend, so electronics are critical to ensure baits are in the strike zone.

A float and jig is a fun tactic. When crappies are holding or suspending in 9 feet of water or less, a 1/32- or 1/16-ounce jig under a fixed float, cast with and 8-foot spinning outfit, is a great way to catch them. Try different slow retrieves and set the hook quickly when the float does anything different.

Lakes with standing timber can have crappies holding on the trees. Using a long pole with a straight-up-and-down presentation is one of the easiest ways to fish. An 11- or 12-foot pole is good for working a bait around a tree. A jig or jig/minnow combo is a top bait choice.

In fall, crappies can be caught while they chase shad on flats and around cover. Crappies may stay relatively shallow early in the season, then migrate deeper as water cools. Your job is to find their depth and put a bait in front of them.

Get more great fall fishing insight from the pros who know in the fall issues of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.