When the water temps get back to around the 65 degrees mark?

Crappie will move to shallower water in the fall and feed heavily preparing for the cold winter months when they generally hold in deeper water, then move very shallow again when the water warms back up in the spring to spawn. Hope this helps.

crappie have a slight tendency to be a bit unpredictable ....
so i dont know if 65 is the magic number but i think thump addict is right on that basic pattern .....

They will go shallow in creeks in winter

X2

Do you guys think they will draw closer to the banks? Would love to hook on some slabs right off the banks and walk back to my truck! Does this pattern affect lakes further south at a later date or should I just keep an eye out for temp drops in the water?

When the water temps get into the lower 60s the shad will be moving shallower and the crappie will follow, but only for a short time. Expect this to happen in N Texas in the latter part of October (if everything follows history). The shad/crappie will usually only stay up shallow for a couple weeks and then they'll go deep for the winter.

I have read on the TFF that some lakes are already turning over. From everything that I've learned in the last 70 years, that can't happen as long as the lake temps are as high as they are now. Cold water is heavier than warm water and that's what causes the 'turn'....heavy water.....and that hasn't happened yet. Two weeks prior to the turn, crappie go crazy eating as they instinctively know its time to chow down.

Water temp on Granger today was 73 degrees when I got on the lake @ 0630. 76 degrees when I left at 1100. All fish caught in 4 to 5 FOW. That has been the pattern since the first cold front came through.

Thanks for all the help!

How deep will they go in the winter? I have a spot set up in 25 FOW. Is that deep enough To hold winter crappies? Also will they be there any other time of the year? Sorry for all the question I'm new to crappie.

The area that I have been fishing is a big bay that is 12 feet deep and less, what I experienced was floating sediments, floating debris, off colored water with a strange smell. I assumed that that area was "Turn Over". Local Bass Guides also reported a "Turn Over" occurring on the North end of the lake. Maybe it was caused by strong winds and was not true "Turn Over"?�

25FOW is about the deepest ill fish in winter. I usually only fish in 12-20' in the winter. Crappie really spread out through the depths in winter.

You should be good. Don't put all the brush on the bottom. Put some about 14' and some down 18' or so foot. I have a place over 30' and this seems to work good.

I have caught crappie trolling 1 ounce sinkers with minnows six inches above the weight in 43 feet of water in wintertime, right on the bottom. . when I got them in the boat they were warm to the touch.
Dont pay as much attention to the water temperture so much, but moreso to the Shad movements and locations. The crappie will follow the shad . You will start to see the schools of shad get larger and larger on your sonar. Many different species of gamefish will be in the areas where the schools of shad are hanging .. big blue cats, largemouth , white bass, ect. Fishing can be very tough in winter because with the shad scooled so heavily, the gamefish can feed at will. so timing is critical. catching them feeding is the objective. A great way to fish for crappie in winter is to set out lots of rods in rod holders all around your boat, with various offerings , at various depths, and either hover over large schools of shad and crappie, or drift thru the schools, until u find active fish.
With the cooler water temps we have now, the crappie can be almost anywhere on a given lake. 2 feet to 60 feet, so dont rule anything out. At this point in time, the shad are larger, so crappie instinctively will take larger baits . they will also become more aggressive, so they are more inclined to hit a moving bait.
Also keep in mind that every lake is different, the crappie may go into shallow creek arms on one, lake, but not on other lakes.
many factors come into play., but one thing is certain, they will be in the vicinity of thier food source. follow the shad.