Thread: How do Crappie spawn?

Well, nobody's opinion has changed since 2010.

I was told blue gill spawn every full moon from spring to early fall. I just like catching them and crappies and walleye and catfish and as long as they all keep spawning we get to keep catching

Gobob,
I'm in for river fishing anytime. That is one area I want to hit up more this year. It''s close and I have caught some good sized Crappie from it. I want to find more places.

Seen some great info posted. One question I haven't seen answered is how long it takes for Crappie to produce eggs? 6" Crappie produce 10,000 eggs. That's alot. But bigger fish produce up to 250,000 eggs. WOW! How long does it take to produce 250,000 eggs?

In-Fisherman article stated the eggs are all dropped at once, however it also mentioned different sized eggs in the same female, could those smaller eggs be for another spring spawn? To be honest, I don't think we know as much about the Crappie spawn as we think.

Originally Posted by Hanr3

In-Fisherman article stated the eggs are all dropped at once, .....

That's not what I read.

(quoted from the article)
"Eggs are adhesive and slightly less than a millimeter in diameter. After spawning the female moves on and can be driven over another nest when she enters the territory of another male. Females might spawn in several nests by the time her eggs are spent. Multi-nest spawning can help ensure continued genetic diversity within populations and that at least some eggs of each female hatch.

Or did you mean "all in one day" when you said "all at once" ??

As for how long it takes to produce the eggs .... it would appear to take something on the order of 8-10 months under normal circumstances.

... cp

Some Things We Know...
1. Black and White Crappie have Preferred Bottoms or areas that they likes to Spawn...but they will Spawn in other areas or bottoms of a Lake, River, or Pond, if they can't find preferred areas.
2. Water Temps and Sunlight influence the Spawn...but spawns can be shortened or lengthened by adverse conditions...and spawns can happen at night.
3. Females can spawn all at once, or in multiple beds....but some females have different sized eggs, so they can spawn at Separate times.
3. Heat/Stress influence the female hormones to abort and absorb eggs that are left if spawns are interrupted.
4. Spawn (Fry) recruitment/survival is also dependent on proper water temp, conditions, etc.
5. It could be possible if conditions are right, that females could possible spawn in Fall...but many variables have to be in place, and more studies are needed.

Anything else? Seems like they have alot of flexibility to reproduce!

Originally Posted by Cane Pole

Well, nobody's opinion has changed since 2010.

Maybe someone's opinion will change when this thread gets bumped in 2027.

Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

That's not what I read.

(quoted from the article)
"Eggs are adhesive and slightly less than a millimeter in diameter. After spawning the female moves on and can be driven over another nest when she enters the territory of another male. Females might spawn in several nests by the time her eggs are spent. Multi-nest spawning can help ensure continued genetic diversity within populations and that at least some eggs of each female hatch.

Or did you mean "all in one day" when you said "all at once" ??

As for how long it takes to produce the eggs .... it would appear to take something on the order of 8-10 months under normal circumstances.

... cp

Quoted from the article
As females approach spawning areas, individual males herd them into their territories and eventually over the nest. Spawning pairs bump their abdominal areas together for a few seconds and release eggs and sperm. The dance may be repeated up to dozens of times over the course of a few hours, or the whole spawn for a pair might conclude after only about 20 minutes.

Eggs are adhesive and slightly less than a millimeter in diameter. After spawning the female moves on and can be driven over another nest when she enters the territory of another male. Females might spawn in several nests by the time her eggs are spent. Multi-nest spawning can help ensure continued genetic diversity within populations and that at least some eggs of each female hatch.

If spawning habitat is limited, crappies from different areas of the lake may wash over it in waves. The first to arrive spawn earliest, perhaps in the low-60°F range, and, as other areas of the lake warm at varying rates, more crappies continue to appear and spawn in the same area. This might leave the impression that the spawn is a long drawn-out affair for individual fish, but that isn’t the case. Each individual female generally finishes her duties within a day.

Read more: Crappie Spawn Slabs - In-Fisherman


Yes, all at once- all in one day. While the females may mate with more than one make, and may drop eggs in one or more nests, they are done in a day.

Not sure I agree with 8-10 months. I can't speak for other parts of the country, however when I clean summer Crappie I don't remember seeing eggs, unless all I am cleaning is males. While my memory isn't what it used to be, I don't remember cleaning eggs out in September either. Around here the spawn is April-May. Maybe 6-8 months. When are you guys seeing eggs again in Crappie?

Originally Posted by Hanr3

Yes, all at once- all in one day. While the females may mate with more than one make, and may drop eggs in one or more nests, they are done in a day.

Not sure I agree with 8-10 months. I can't speak for other parts of the country, however when I clean summer Crappie I don't remember seeing eggs, unless all I am cleaning is males. While my memory isn't what it used to be, I don't remember cleaning eggs out in September either. Around here the spawn is April-May. Maybe 6-8 months. When are you guys seeing eggs again in Crappie?

Understood !! ... I was just wondering if you were equating "all at once" with dropping all the eggs in one nest (ie - all at the same time).

We may start seeing egg sacs in late Summer/early Fall, albeit very small ones ... and our normal spawns occur in late March to mid May (progressing from the southern most lakes to the northern most lakes) so that's more or less within the 8-10 months range I quoted. It also encompasses the 3-5 months of possible cold temps that would slow the metabolism of the fish, as well as the development of the eggs.

... cp