Spawn Question

[CrappiePappy]

Wow, thanks for the detailed answer! I should have added,,,, all the males are black crappie,,,, the very few white crappie were females and had eggs,,,these white females were the smaller fish I been catching. Water temp last Sat was 71, this Sat it was 61, even tho the temp dropped that much I still caught the large black males super shallow in the thickest brush, in the very backs of a few coves.

Were the males true "Black Crappie" .... or were they White Crappie males that were "black" from their spawning colors ??

With the temps dropping back 10deg ... they may be extending their spawn. But, still, even at 61deg the water temps are within range for either species to be trying to spawn, so it could be either or both species ... and if it's both, they very well could be spawning at the same time. Sometimes, when that situation occurs, the Blacks & Whites can get mixed and produce hybrids.
Here's an article that has pics of some of the different "looks" : TWRA - Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency - Black Crappie

... cp