YES folks they actually TALK !
They tell a story every single time I find them .
Sometimes it isn't what you want to hear and sometimes ....
It's like OH MY ....really ?
Case in point , It's important to know about the life cycles of a major food source baitfish . To study a threadfin shad and the way it goes about life and death will make you a better crappie fisherman where they are the main baitfish present .
If you watch them closely and understand what they are doing and why , you will often find the main target species doing its best to consume them .
So Lets' start with the late fall/winter basics .....
Threadfin Shad are fragile fish and die easily , this coupled with a high food value and large numbers make them a sought after meal .
Threadfin Shad struggle in water temperatures below 60 degrees . When water temperatures hit 55 the die off begins . At 50 degrees it is in FULL all out tons of them dying mode . Literally tons of them i might add .
If you roll up to a lake when its really cold and see birds hovering and diving ,and lots of what looks like huge rain drops on the surface , you are seeing a die off .
The shad in this case are telling you loud and clear to go look under them .
What does not get eaten falls to the bottom for the most part .
Winter crappie love to eat large numbers of shad during the winter die off .
Its a crappies version of Thanksgiving and eating until you feel like you will pop .
Hopefully this tidbit of information will put you on a pile of crappie soon .
KABOOM is the word