Many outdoors men and women love to chase crappie and big bucks.
That means they face some hard decisions in November. (Photo: Richard Simms)
Deer Season Crappie
by Tim Huffman
It’s November. Deer hunting is in full-swing and crappie have gone into their fall feeding frenzy. Do you hunt or fish? How about doing both? Here is how several sportsmen choose, and how deer hunting and fishing actually have similar strategies.
Edges
Mitch Glenn, owner of Pico Lures, says he hunts because he enjoys eating venison. During deer season, he always struggles with deciding whether to fish or hunt, so he sometimes hunts in the morning and crappie fishes in the afternoon. Both times he will be focusing on “edges.”
“Fish and deer are creatures of the edges,” says Glenn. “A deer will use the edges of fields, tree lines and ridges. Fish do the same thing. They have highways everywhere, like a channel ledge. They’ll use them to go into the bank, deep water, or a stump field.
“Deer and crappie are both similar during mating time, too, because they both become stupid. A deer might stand in the middle of the road and watch you run over him. Spawning crappie gets aggressive and will hit anything you throw at them. For crappie it isn’t November, but it’s a similar trait.
“So, my tip for November is to look for crappie on the edges where crappie, like deer, use for traveling.”
Barometer & Stealth
John Godwin, Duck Commander and BnM Pro Staffer, says, “Fish and animals are all affected by the barometer, moon, temperatures, and other stuff. You can study and learn more about them. However, if I have a day to go fishing or hunting, I’m going no matter what the barometer or anything else is doing.
“I’ve learned you must be quiet, quiet, quiet,” John Godwin
“When slipping up on a deer I must be quiet. When slipping up on a crappie, especially when they get shallow again in the fall, I must sneak up on them like I would a deer. It’s even more critical when the water is slick. You must be stealthy and move like molasses to get up on them. The colder it gets, the slower you need to go.
“Just like big bucks, big crappie get big for a reason. They’re smart and difficult to catch. So be as quiet and stealthy as possible.”
Big Ones are Loners
“I’m fishing in November,” says guide, tournament fisherman and BnM pro staffer Kevin McCarley. “It’s a great crappie-catching month. I live in Alabama, so I wait until it gets colder to start hunting.
“Fish like the edges, just like deer, so work channel edges, stump rows or other edge structure. Being quiet is very important, too.
“Maybe the biggest thing I can relate with deer and crappie is that deer will come out into a green field to feed, but the big buck will hold back. He is smart and big for a reason. He holds off, away from the others. It’s the same with crappie. When you pull up to a brush top or area where fish are congregated, most of the time the biggest fish is not in the group. They’ll be off to the side somewhere. They are smart making it important to pay attention and find them.”
Find the Food Source; Be in the Right Spot
Why do hunters spend hundreds of dollars to plant a food crop or keep feeders full of expensive feed? Why do they scout for acorns?
Deer like to eat. They prefer the easiest and healthiest food they can find. Use food to draw the deer to your hunting spot, or go to a natural food source, and your success rate multiplies. It’s no different with crappie. Find their food source and you’ll multiply your chances for success.
“Crappie are chasing shad in November here in Mississippi,” says guide Tim Howell, Longbranch Guide Service. “Just like a deer hunter scouts with electronic cameras, checks his blind or stand areas and puts out feed, a fisherman needs to scout, too. Turn on electronics and look for shad. Balls of shad are where you’ll find crappie. Crappie have their feed bag on this time of year and fishing can be very good.”
Howell says being in the right spot will determine 100 percent of your success. If you’re not where you need to be, your chances are slim for success.
“You better be in the right location. That comes from scouting and experience. Our lakes will be in drawdown in November, so we’ll find the crappie just off the river channel out in the flats. They’ll often be in water 10 to 15 feet deep.
“I spider rig,” says Howell. “We caught crappie spider rigging before LiveScope and we still catch them in the same places we always have, like flats and drop-offs. LiveScope is efficient, but I don’t like playing video games all day long.”
Howell uses 16-foot-long ACC Crappie Stix Trolling Rods with a double-minnow rig. He varies speeds until the crappie shows him the speed they like best.
“I fish in the morning and deer hunt in the afternoon. Both are usually more active right at daylight, it’s just I prefer to fish first. On a good day, I’ll have my limit in a couple of hours so that leaves the rest of the day to hunt.”
Summary for Deer Season Crappie
-Big deer and big crappie are the first to spook. Be quiet and stealthy.
-Check the edges where crappie like to travel. Creek channel ledges, contour lines and stump rows are examples.
-Like a big buck, look for the biggest crappie to be away from the others. Check for a single stickup or cover close to a group of smaller crappie.
-Be in the right spot. Put yourself in position for success.
-The food source is critical. November, in the middle to southern states, crappie will be chasing shad.
Contacts
Pico Lures 479-640-1267
Kevin McCarley 256-431-8917
Tim Howell 662-251-5625
Editor’s note: Tim Huffman is CrappieNow senior writer. Check out his new 2022 book, Crappie Annual & Product Guide, available through his website, www.monstercrappie.com
