Just wondering what others (that know) think about water temp dropping and slip fishing.

It seems to me that first cold nights the fish will tend to stay in bigger parts of the lake as the water will cool in the shallows first ( the slips). Then, after the entire lake temps drop, they come into shallower slip areas as the water will be slightly warmer than the deep lake with the sun warming it. Does this make sense?

Ever since we have had colder nights, there seems to be virtually zero fish in the slips. Before the cold nights, there weren't many, but I could at least get a bite and catch a couple here and there. Just wondering if this makes any sense because they are definately not there.

Ok, guess nobody cares enough to respond, lol. That's fine. I think I am possibly right as, as soon as the cold nights came, cannot even get so much as a bite. I thought that when the colder weather came, they came in. But apparently that is only when the cold weather is here day and night and the water temps drop thoughout the lake...or so it seems. If that is the case, it looks like several weeks before they are in there for the winter and I can stop popping out there and jigging where they aren't.

I wish I could help, HLS, but not sure. You're theory sounds pretty accurate.

I guess the guides and old-timers would know best, like Guy, Ernest, Chuck, Paul O., Chs_bass, and the like. And mean no disrespect when I say "old-timers". Mainly just mean they've been around longer than me (turning 40 next month) and likely know more about the water thermocline transistion and how crappie react to it.

Good luck, man.

--Eric
AgAlum93'

Hmmm, I am an old timer compared to you (45)...lol.

I think I am correct as why would the crappie seek out colder water when the temps begin to drop? They wouldn't. Fish would stay in water closer to what they are used to. In the unlikely event they did come in, they wouldn't eat. Ever have a heater break on a fish tank? They won't eat. So, we are weeks away from fish in slips, it seems to me, depending on how cold it gets.

I'm not sure I will have to worry about temperature to get crappie into my slip this year. I normally have 28-35 feet of water under me, last Friday I had 16.9! I hope that's still enough to get them in there.

I know last year they moved into the slip in mid-November. Whether it had anything to do with the temperature or not I have no idea.

Kevin

My 2cents....
I fish slips alot out of JP (done quite a bit out of RH). I can only share my experiences...here we go.

Everyone knows that crappies bite like crazy before the cold front move in. Then where are right after the cold front moved in? I let the old timers clarify this....
As of for me, they just are NOT very active. Not all moved out from where you normally catch them, but even if some still remain, they became inactive. Lots of time, we rather be a couch potatoe on a cold rainy day watching TV then to get up off of the couch to go to the kitchen. Yeah, you all know who you are...
Try this if you will. They tend to hold much closer to the brush piles or structure. Move your jig down deeper right into their faces. Hold still or move ever so slowly. This will trigger some bites. You may not get a feeding frenzy, but at least you will get some bites. This also prove that NOT ALL moved out.
One other thing....On days like this, you are likely NOT to get a hit from your normal BRUSH-FREE/UNSTRUCTURE spot. Which also prove the point that they don't suspense nearly as often. Tight in the brush/structure is the KEY!!!!

That's all for now...good luck!

This time last year my wife and I were killing them w/ jigs in the JP State Park slips. My wife stood in one spot for 45 minutes and caught 27 crappie. The down side to the story that each and every one of them were dinks. Keepers were VEERRRRRRRY hard to come by. But it was fun.

Lunker Luck - Billy