Fri, May 5th, 2023 - 5:01pm
October 17, 2022 - 9:00am | By James McCarty
The Flag Outdoors Expert Steve Carney has your weekly Outdoors Angle right here!
Finally, after several weeks of very slow fishing, the Fall crappie bite is happening! Now the fish have started their Fall transition to shoreline breaks that still hold healthy, green weeds. The trick now is to get your bait in the proper position. Instead of the traditional edges and weed bottoms, these fish are now on the very top of the weeds. I have been throwing a very small hair jig in the 1/8th .oz size and by keeping my rod at the 12 O'Clock position, the jig stays above the weeds. Another tactic that has been working is using a slip bobber and small jig adorned with a piece of plastic. This bobber rig keeps your bait above the weeds and works very well when set about 3 to 4 feet above the weeds. I have been running into walleyes with this setup as well. Most gamefish are now relating to shoreline weeds and will remain in this pattern until ice up.
A key factor in this process is keeping your boat well away from the weeds and making long casts. At this time of Fall, any noise or vibration from your boat will scatter the fish. Use your electric motors if possible. Always creep in slowly to your fishing area with a minimum of noise.
Don't put away your boat just yet... The best fishing of the season is happening right now!
Steve Carney is The Flag WZFG Outdoors expert. He can be heard every Thursday morning at 8:05 on AM 1100 and 92.3 FM WZFG. Check out his weekly podcast on am1100theflag.com and hear his Outdoors Angle reports every Friday on AM 1100 and 92.3 FM WZFG. You can also visit stevecarneyoutdoors.com for more information.
