Matt Xenos has been producing crappie fishing videos for many years. In this segment he explains why the Fall transition might actually start happening in September, even if daytime temperatures haven’t cooled off much.
Crappie Basics: Summer/Fall Transition
by Richard Simms, CrappieNOW Editor
If you’re a few decades old, like me, you remember a time when September was ALMOST the beginning of Fall. It wasn’t really, but we all knew that the real Fall wasn’t far off.
Nowadays, however, no matter what people like to think, it often seems September is just a continuation of Summer – at least in the South.
But believe it or not, there are times when wild creatures, including crappie, respond to environmental factors OTHER than temperature. Length of days – what’s called the diurnal period – is a major factor. Longer nights mean lower water temperatures, even if daytime highs remain the same. Also, the position of the sun, or the moon, in the sky will influence wildlife no matter what the temperature.
So even if its not much, if any, cooler than August, there are other factors that may affect how crappie act.
East Tennessee crappie fishing expert Matt Xenos has been producing videos specifically for crappie anglers for many years. More than 16,000 Subscribers tune into his YouTube Channel, “Wired for Crappie.”
In this segment, Xenos has some tips on the reasons why anglers may want to start looking for shallower fish in September. You can jump to 3:05 in this video for that explanation/demonstration.
Capt. Richard Simms is the Editor of CrappieNOW magazine as well as owner of Scenic City Fishing Charters. He is a former game warden for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency before becoming a photographer and PR guy for TWRA. That lead to a 30-year career as a broadcast journalist and freelance outdoor writer. You can follow Capt. Simms on Facebook.
