I normally stop fishing end of August and focus on hunting, but I might extend it to end of Oct. When does the summer pattern end, when you cannot find them in the same summer spots (flooded timber and brush piles)?

Mid Oct is when they leave the standing timber and head up the creeks

I guess that’s probably driven by water temperature? Or when the lake turns?

In my experience, I start looking for creek fish around November 1st. I was limiting out in the creeks on Halloween last year but that is early. Usually once the water gets to 55 degrees, the fish start moving. With that being said, there are always fish on timber and brush and honestly just depends on if you want to relocate them. Deep timber 20-40 ft will hold the biggest crappie during the winter time.

Interesting stuff.

Sept. And October are excellent months to catch a lot of crappie. Water starts to cool off and the fish are active all day long feeding up for winter.

But if you have to go hunting we will try to keep the population in check without you……….lol.

For about 25 years I have wore out the crappie in the standing timber from Memoraial Day weekend till Texas OU weekend, After that weekend which is around mid Oct they simply have moved on. Sept is really awesome, as those 9" crappie in early summer are around 11 to 12" by then.

Good stuff fellas. When would you expect the lakes to turnover?

I think it’s lake specific. The lake I fish, from October to March the crappie are in the brush piles all over the lake and easy to catch. Right now they are spread out and numbers of keepers are way down.

when u start seeing just a few , mostly small crappie on brush and timber thing are abt to change, they are the last to leave brush and timber in late fall, and first to return after spawn.

I think alot of it depends on the lakes you fish. I fish one of the worst Crappie lakes in Texas on a weekly basis and am still catching fish in 10'-15' of water where on other lakes you cant even get bit unless you are in 20'+ right now. With the exception of the spawn I catch fish on the same brush piles, same timber, same docks, same rock piles, etc. pretty much year round. Only time I abandon those spots is when the fish are up shallow to spawn or there is to much water movement for the fish to hold on those spots. In the dead of winter I will still be fishing that same water but MUCH slower. Water temp was 91 today and still caught some whoppers in the same spots I was catching them in May. In some lakes the patterns just dont change much.

Lakes typically turn over in OCT sometime