Thread: How do Crappie spawn?

None taken. I enjoy intelligent conversations. It helps me learn and grow. We are all entitled to our opinions.
The current thought is that Crappie reproduce once per year, correct? The longer spawn season is due to limited spawning area, so the fish rotate in and out. I have seen research to verify that fish return to the same spawning grounds year after year. Bumper crop of crappie means more fish will need the same ground, longer spawn season. Makes sense. What I haven't seen is research showing that crappie only spawn once per year. It may be out there, however I haven't seen it. Would love to see it, post up a link. Would love to see, how long does it take crappie females to produce eggs?

I'm not sure crappie will hold eggs through the winter in sub freezing climates. Here's why. They will need nutrients to keep those eggs alive, that means they need more food, more than just subsistence. Ever winter camp, and by winter I mean in the snow? Last thing you want to do is hold your urine all night long. It takes massive amounts of energy to keep that urine body temperature. Best practice is to expel that urine before bed, you will stay warmer through the night. Fish slow down in the winter. while they don't hibernate, they do slow down. They move as little as possible and eat small meals, less energy required to hunt and digest small meals. The more winter drags on the less food available. Eggs will suck energy they don't have. They don't have the reserves to stock pile nutrients and I seriously doubt they will retain eggs that will suck energy they need to survive. When we run low on food our bodies react, we start shutting down none essential functions, our bodies will eat stored fat, then muscle mass, then start to shut down blood flow to extremities, shut down non-essential organs, liver, kidneys, etc. last to go is the heart and brain. There are other examples of this behavior in nature. I could see in warmer climates, above freezing, that crappie could retain eggs through the winter. Although, are they really retaining eggs through the winter when they start spawning in January/February? Maybe they start producing eggs when the season changes? Deer go into rut when the season changes.

Do your crappie have eggs all year?
Ours don't, unless I am only catching males during the summer. It's possible, but not likely.

Don't over complicate it...Crappie spawn in the spring, a female may spend time in more than one bed. I have asked this question to three different Fish Biologist all with Masters degree's on the subject. And with years and years of filleting crappie under my belt have I ever caught a female popping with eggs or a male with his tux on... past a reasonable spring spawning period? The answer is a resounding NO!!!! It is a myth that they spawn any other time than spring or darn close to it depending on weather patterns.

Great information

Originally Posted by Hanr3

None taken. I enjoy intelligent conversations. It helps me learn and grow. We are all entitled to our opinions.
The current thought is that Crappie reproduce once per year, correct? The longer spawn season is due to limited spawning area, so the fish rotate in and out. I have seen research to verify that fish return to the same spawning grounds year after year. Bumper crop of crappie means more fish will need the same ground, longer spawn season. Makes sense. What I haven't seen is research showing that crappie only spawn once per year. It may be out there, however I haven't seen it. Would love to see it, post up a link. Would love to see, how long does it take crappie females to produce eggs?

I'm not sure crappie will hold eggs through the winter in sub freezing climates. Here's why. They will need nutrients to keep those eggs alive, that means they need more food, more than just subsistence. Ever winter camp, and by winter I mean in the snow? Last thing you want to do is hold your urine all night long. It takes massive amounts of energy to keep that urine body temperature. Best practice is to expel that urine before bed, you will stay warmer through the night. Fish slow down in the winter. while they don't hibernate, they do slow down. They move as little as possible and eat small meals, less energy required to hunt and digest small meals. The more winter drags on the less food available. Eggs will suck energy they don't have. They don't have the reserves to stock pile nutrients and I seriously doubt they will retain eggs that will suck energy they need to survive. When we run low on food our bodies react, we start shutting down none essential functions, our bodies will eat stored fat, then muscle mass, then start to shut down blood flow to extremities, shut down non-essential organs, liver, kidneys, etc. last to go is the heart and brain. There are other examples of this behavior in nature. I could see in warmer climates, above freezing, that crappie could retain eggs through the winter. Although, are they really retaining eggs through the winter when they start spawning in January/February? Maybe they start producing eggs when the season changes? Deer go into rut when the season changes.

Do your crappie have eggs all year?
Ours don't, unless I am only catching males during the summer. It's possible, but not likely.

Yes, the current thought is once per year, when the water temps reach a certain level & the daylight hours reach a certain length (which may be separate factors or cause & effect )

IMHO ... and as I understand it, we cannot equate "man's" nutritional needs with the "fish's", for one simple reason .... fish are cold blooded. So, they spawn in the "Spring" (or rather when the temps/light length reach the minimum requirements) ... then through the rest of the year (Summer-Fall) they feed to put on weight, and the females begin another egg sac. Those eggs grow until the colder waters reduce the metabolism of the fish, and the nutritional needs of the eggs. Then, once the waters start to warm again, the metabolism increases and the fish go on a feeding spree (pre-spawn) as they head back to their "home territory/birthplace". And the process repeats.

The "longer" spawn season is driven by weather changes, water level/condition changes, and the interruptions caused by those changes. In some cases, that can be a few weeks, while in others it can take a couple of months. Too much interruption and the (remaining) eggs will be absorbed.

We start catching females with small egg sacs in the mid to late Summer. That's one reason, I believe, that some contend that there's a Fall spawn going on ... as the egg laden females follow the baitfish into the backs of creeks/bays during the cooling period of Fall. But, they're not back in the shallows to spawn, but to "fatten up" to sustain them for the Winter.

And, like you, I wish I could find a link to an article telling how long it takes for Crappie eggs to form and reach maturity. There's likely one out there, somewhere, but there's just so much "other" information that gets in the way of the internet search engines that I haven't run across one yet. I do know that the fish & wildlife biologists breed Crappie for stocking purposes, so if optimal conditions for multiple spawns per year were relevant ... they'd have them. And they'd likely use them ... but, since they don't, I'm in the camp that believes in the once a year spawning behavior in 99.99% of cases.

... cp

Originally Posted by ibmack

hehehehehehehe, think you and I are the only sane ones on this thread. the rest are trying to argue whether there is a god or not.

You're saying you catch fish at night during the spawn? I've always wondered about that. Could you elaborate?

I was once told by a guide that you need to listen to the daily ag reports and when the 6 inch soil depth temp is 50 degrees it's time to go after them. This guide fishes several lakes and has for many years with success. That said he fishes year round as do I and Mr Hanr I have learned a lot from all of those most vocal on this thread and appreciate you all. In closing plausible deniability is neither proven or disproved , agreed or disagreed , both muddy the waters as does the crappie we all love to chase. May you all feel the thump and your rods bend

Side bar Hanr. I got a spot on the river we need to hit this spring was going this week but all the rain killed that plan. I'll drag CL Farms up to go too . ������

The crappie spawn Crappie Spawn Slabs - In-Fisherman

"and in some cases crappies have been shown to have multimodal egg size distributions, suggesting than some individuals might spawn more than once in a single season."
Read more: Crappie Spawn Slabs - In-Fisherman

Go figure! So that covers Hanr3....
Then, if Springtime temps never reach consistent "Spawning Temps" until late Summer/Fall (Due to Global Weather Change), and the temperatures never reach the heat levels to trigger the female hormone to abort...when will they spawn!