Crappie Spawn

[Papa Bear]

I've heard several reports that the spawn is over, but the males I've been catching don't look as tho they have even made beds.

[WakenLake]

Unless theyve spawned deep I wouldnt believe it.

[Phil Lilley]

I've been told last week of April first week in May. Most females being caught a couple of weeks ago had firm eggs. Not many caught since except deep.

[straw hat]

With the warm early weather the crappie got ready early this year. When the first cool front hit water temps dropped rapidly in some areas and slower in others depending on depth, clarity, amount of sunlight, etc. Those crappie that were spawning at the time were at what is called critical hormone levels. This is a level of hormones where spawning may be delayed a couple days but will not be postponed any longer. Those fish will either spawn or their eggs will deteriorate within their bodies. Most of the other crappie were in an earlier stage of development. They simply drop back a little deeper and wait until the weather is better, water temps pick up and then they are back in business and finish getting ready for the spawn. To complicate things the water temp rebounded in some areas almost immediately and others which were more shaded or protected have stayed relatively cool. Crappie in those cool areas just simply wait longer longer to spawn. In the last week I have found temps of 53 to 65 degrees in some of my favorite spring coves. This makes finding crappie more like hunting than fishing. Like a lot of you have said you really have to work to find a successful pattern on a given day. The crappie I have caught in the last 10 days have been in all stages of spawning, which really makes it hard to predict what to do on the next trip. Some of the males are totally spent and their fins are worn down and some are just getting ready to rock and roll. Same with the females. Unluckily this kind of erratic spawn usually leads to low production, poorer survival of the young and less recruitment for next year. Don't get me wrong, there will still be some good spawning in some areas it just won't be up to par for Stockton.

[rntmvp6]

I realize this spring has been warmer than most. I find it impossible to believe the spawn is even close to being over. The two big factors on most of the lakes around here and even many throughout the central U.S. has been the water cool down over the last few weeks and THE FALLING WATER levels. The fish are not going to move up and continue to make beds until the water temp and water levels stabilize. Just prior to all the rain and cool down, I could go to Truman and catch my limit of crappie with ease up in the brush. The key was rising water. Once the water started falling, those crappie started pulling back out further and further toward the creek channels. I lived in SW Arkansas for two years and have fished many spring spawns down there on a very shallow lake. The crappie come in waves up to spawn. I will say year in year out the best time to hit the spawn is from April 15th through May 15th. With that lake 6 hours south of here and much warmer water temps on average, my opinion stands that the spawn is still not even close to being over even considering the warmer than normal March we had. Just my two cents.

[straw hat]

You may be right mtmvp6. I wasn't trying to suggest that the spawn was over, just that there may be a second phase to it as areas begin to warm back up and that type of interrupted spawn usually results in poorer than normal production.

[Nwtf gobbler]

I can't speak for everyone but i know one thing for sure. The fish I caught today definitely have not spawned yet. My wife and I fished with one of the guides today from state park all the way to high

Point. Only caught 5 crappie, all keeper males, with perfect tails. They were in 20 fow on the bottom. Very slow day, but fun. The wife had fun do I guss thats all that matters, RIGHT?

[evnrude18]

My brother and I are headed up in the morning... I guess we will see what we can scap up!