Is late fall really a big-crappie window?
One of the best, especially in the north. In 7–12 °C (45–54 °F) water the fish have consolidated into their largest schools of the year and feed steadily to bank energy for winter, stacking on steep structure that connects flats to the wintering basin — bluff banks, channel swings, the deep ends of points at 6–10 m (20–33 ft). The bite is a shorter daily window than spring and the weather is uglier, which is exactly why the fish see so little pressure. Across Canada this window runs right up until ice, then continues through it.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
Same topic, other species
- Why is fall the trophy muskie window? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- Why is fall the jumbo window? — Yellow Perch
- Why is fall the trophy pike season? — Northern Pike
- When does the fall feed-up happen, and how good is it really? — Smallmouth Bass
- What is the fall pattern for brook and lake trout? — Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake)
- Why is late fall the trophy walleye window? — Walleye