Autumn crappie a season well worth searching

The first warm days of spring may be the only time many fishing enthusiasts hit the water with crappie in mind, which is a shame because the fall can be just as productive for those seeking the slabs, and can be even more fun.

According to Keith Sutton, author of “The Crappie Fishing Handbook,” during the post-spawn summer, lake crappie typically hang out in or near the thermocline, the thin transition that separates the oxygen-rich circulating upper layer of water from the cold, non-circulating layer below.