Late fall crappie and bass. Here in Minnesota we have entered the late fall period. This period is the last open water fishing before ice forms on the lakes. Today is October 15. Ice on the lakes can happen anytime from the first week of November thru Thanksgiving.
For crappie in late fall look for weeds. When the turnover of the lake happens weeds will start to slowly die. Crappie will relate to the remaining weeds. I like to use the bobber and jig (a 1/32 green or yellow jig with a 1 inch gulp alive minnow) . Mark the edge of the weeds with a orange marker bouy.
You may have to search for visible weeds or on your depth finder. When fishing late fall bass look for secondary weeds just outside the visible weed edge. These secondary weeds will be generally 4-5 feet underneath the surface of the water. One method is work the secondary weeds with a shallow running crank bait , running just over the top of the weeds. A good crank bait such as the Rapala DT6 or the Rapala orginal floater are good choices.
Weeds can be hard to find in the late fall but definitely is a primary choice for both bass and crappie. During the late fall crappie will start to drop down into the deep basins. After checking the weeds. Check out my post for fall basin crappie