When do crappie spawn?

How do you know when the crappie are spawning in a pond? And what do you use to catch them?

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is this a trick question ? :Rofl
all kidding aside , it is often a crap shoot .
one day might be the one and the next nada .
go often and cast along the shoreline with a jig under a float .
run it parallel when your cast and drag it super slowly to you .
your area is unfamiliar to me , but i would think anytime soon in your neck of the woods .
early and late in the day will likely be your best targets of opportunity

Float, slow retrieve or pitch out and let fall back towards you on tight line. Any small jig just go have fun and good luck.

I’d be trying to catch them every chance I got to go right now. In a pond you should be able to find them fairly easy with a cork and jig. The fish can’t be but in just so many areas in a pond so jig them and good fishing

Wish I knew the answer to that question this year. They have not been on the rocks behind my slip this year. And the lake has been too windy most days to hunt for them.

I thought the spawn had started last night when I caught 6 on the rocks wearing full tuxedos. But 4 hours of fishing the rocks convinced me I caught the only 6 in a party mood my first hour of fishing.

But I will be there again tonight to see if this is the night.

It's either rain or 18-25 mph wind here. Haven't found a one yet. But tomorrow is forecast partly sunny, no rain, and winds 5-8 mph...and I just got in 2 new ACC Crappie Stix! Sounds like a good chance!

As to OP's question...I've always heard water temp about 57* - 65* is the best.

Probably when I'm not there...:banghead

Many people mistake the "pre-spawn" as the "spawn" activity, when the males & females are cruising the shoreline and out in the middle of the lake ... depending on where the baitfish are at the time. They can have many false starts & restarts, depending on weather and water levels/temps.

Around here I'd say they spawn .... whenever they're good & dang ready, and not a minute sooner !! :Rofl Seriously though, I've seen them spawn from mid April to mid May, and in (surface) water temps from 60 to 75deg.

You’ll actually catch more fish prespawn and post spawn than you will during the actual spawn itself. I’m sure the timeline depends on where you live. Down here in MS, you can usually start catching prespawn fish shallow around March 1. It keeps getting better until reaching the peak around Easter. Then there’s a “dead” period when the females are on the beds, followed by another frenzy postspawn as the males move back in to protect the beds. This activity can last into Mid to late May depending on the weather and lake levels.


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Crappie will Spawn when temps remain steady at depth...Surface temps tell you absolutely nothing! set yourself up a temp gauge/thermometer to check temps at your nest depth.
In our home lake in Ohio (2500 acre and deep) BIG CRAPPIE nests are TYPICALLY built at 8 foot and Spawn temps are around 65 degrees at 8' depth, so I check temps there! But also remember that temps at that depth have to remain constant also, a cold front or severe weather will shut them down.
At another lake I fish (5500 acres) the Average depth is 5-6ft so it warms up and cools down fast.