Crappie fishing varies from season to season making fishing for this pan fish both fun and challenging. While it is easy to find crappie during the spring because they are spawning and are close to shore, and summer crappie fishing means fishing in depths, fishing for crappie in September can be a bit more complicated since finding the crappie during the early fall depends on a number of things including how much and how fast the water changes.
September Crappie Fishing
In many southern states, the September water temperatures remain the same as summer so you may not have to change from your summer fishing habits until later in the fall.
Crappie like us human beings like to be comfortable and they will travel to various places around the lake or river looking for spots where they feel comfortable. This often results in schools of crappie becoming more spread out and more difficult to find.
When fishing for crappie in September, it helps to have good sonar with a clear screen that allows you a clear view of where the bait fish are and shows images of fallen trees and brush where crappie likes to shelter. You can also look for the type of bait fish that crappie enjoys feeding on, which in most cases is Shad.
Best Places to Fish for Crappie in September
When the water starts turning over in September there are a couple of places where you may easily find crappie. Here are a couple of places where crappie fishing tends to be good in the early fall.
- Bays – Bays are a good place for fishing for crappie in September due to the fact, that bays tend to be less affected by the turnover in water temperature due to the shallower water in most bays and they have some blockage from the wind.
- Inlets from Lakes and Rivers- Inlets from other lakes and rivers may also be a good place to fish for crappie in September because these areas have oxygen-rich water. Be sure to fish in the shallows, around the edges of wood beds, and around submerged trees and thick weed beds.
Keep in mind that because crappie schools tend to be spread further apart during the early fall, that you will be less likely to catch several fish all in one spot like you can during the spring and summer. Try moving short distances along with those areas where you find the bait fish and adequate brush since the crappie could be spread out over a larger area.
You also may want to try a variety of different baits when fishing for crappie in early fall and try fishing after sundown and early morning when the crappie tend to be the most active. If you are going to fish during the middle of the day (and you can still catch crappie at this time) overcast days are the best.
If you take the time to learn the habits of crappie then you will be successful at crappie fishing all year round.
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