---

Every season, about this time of year, the crappie and walleye fishing really begins to heat up. The upper water column in lakes begins to cool in the late summer in preparation for the fall "turn-over," and it's at this time of the year that walleyes and crappies begin to forage the shallower water for baitfish.

Crappies begin to show themselves on your electronics suspended off deeper breaks and will sometimes appear as large humps on the bottom. If you know that the water you're fishing doesn't normally have what looks to be a sizeable SUV parked on the bottom of the lake, it's a good bet that what you're seeing is a school of hungry crappies. It's always a welcome sight to see a knot of crappies appear on the LCR, and once they've been located, it doesn't take much work to put a limit in the boat.

Try using a light, feather jig tipped with a minnow below a 1/8th ounce split shot positioned about three feet up the line. The heavier shot will quickly send the jig to the crappies and maximize the time your offering is in the strike zone. If the school extends a number of feet above the bottom, sometimes the use of a slip-bobber isn't necessary, and can actually prove to be a hindrance. Running a rig like this without the aid of a bobber forces you to keep the bait moving in the water column and active, oftentimes resulting in more strikes. Determining when the fish hits and when to react is fairly simple -- when you feel a rap, wait just a moment before setting the hook; if you see the rod tip bend but didn't feel the crappie take the jig, set the hook right away.

Walleyes begin to chase their meals onto shoreline breaks and underwater humps and points this time of year. Pulling crankbaits and stickbaits over these areas in the evening can yield some very nice fish. Also, a jig and minnow presentation can really get their attention, too.

I recall a couple of seasons ago when we enjoyed beautiful weather right through mid-November. My boys and I experiencing a stretch of fantastic crappie and walleye fishing at the same time I was hitting the woods during the deer season. No kidding.

Don't think that Labor Day marks the end of the fishing season. As far as I'm concerned, if mid-May marks the beginning of the open-water season, then the approach of Labor Day means that there's nearly half a season left to fish. If the weather holds, we can still look forward to at least two months of great open-water fishing.

Dan Brown's weekly outdoor column is brought to you by Frankie's Bait and Marine, in Chisago City, and St. Croix Outdoors, in St. Croix Falls, Wis.

---