Spawn - Water Rising - Water Muddy - Water Cooling - ?????

Were do they go? What do they do?

This has happened this past week at MO Crappie camp as well as my home lake Smithville. They vanish and it's almost like there was/is no spawn at all. It's happened in years past also.

I think they just spawn somewhere else or so fast they're in and out and you don't even know it happened. Last week catching nice colored up males on the bank, rain came and POOF They Are Gone. I don't think I've caught a female all year.

I always hear old banks when water is rising but never found that to be the case. Today I can prove it, not one decent fish seen on the livescope and I fished miles and miles and miles looking, dinks everywhere 4 days straight. The big fish must know something we don't? We've caught a few but 9 to 10 inch small males is it and not many. Not an egg one. Water or Surface temps from 61 to 66 depending on time of day, where you are on the lake and how far back you go. I feel time of year has a lot to do with it no matter the temp. :dono

Anyway doubt anyone really knows but looking for your on the water experiences, mine is I can't ever find them in these conditions and look forward to Post Spawn!

Went thru a similar scenario at our Spring Fling. Water temps 61-65* ... Water levels relatively stable after having dropped a couple of feet from the week before ... Water condition was clearing & only slightly stained. Add to that 14hrs of daylight, post Full Moon, Dogwoods blooming. And guess where the fish were ??? 12-20ft deep in 18-30fow :yikes No males to speak of on the banks !! We caught our fish from small pods at 12' deep on timber, and though they were mostly 9-10" females (w/eggs) there were several males caught from the same pods. :Doh:

The only negative factor I could come up with for that weekend was the Sun & Moon were both in the sky at the same time ... and I've always struggled when that occurs (but that may just be a convenient excuse of mine :) ).

Lake's been rising since that weekend (Apr 27-28th) and should be at Summer Pool by next week ... so maybe there'll still be some spawning taking place during the next two weeks. If not, we'll be catching females with withering egg sacs for the next month or so (like we've done in recent years past).

According to the fisheries fellas here they all spawn , some not very successfully, but they still attempt it , some of those failures appear in females with late spring early summer mushy brown eggs .
Where do they go is another chapter in the never ending ups and downs with them . Some go suspend, some go sit down and some stay in locations you just don’t expect as well.
They move constantly when water changes occur during the spawn, some days you think are off are on fire and days you know are just right are a bust.
Cold fronts , rising waters,water temperature changes, wind direction,moon phases and the list seems endless , some always accuse me of being full of it , but to be VERY sure that is a huge mistake on their part .
These fish are driven to drive average and even above average anglers absolutely crazy trying to out guess them , where your fish went is a total crap shoot , some fellas here ,swear aliens abducted them and in a few instances I would tend to agree…:banghead
One thing for certain and this is fact , if or when little fish show up , you for sure missed the big time ….pure facts for sure bro, just saying

In my neck of the woods they love rising water clear or muddy doesn’t matter. They can be difficult to find , it’s usually more like hunting than fishing. They won’t be everywhere but once you find them, it’s on !
The bite will vary, most of the time I have to get the jig within a foot of where they are.
Sometimes they slam it other times they just lightly grab it.
The white crappie should still be spawning. I usually catch 3-6 in one spot then I move .
Every lake is different, I prefer lakes with cypress trees in 2-4ft of water with buck brush or saw grass.
I use a 14 foot jig pole, no float. Jigs only.
Keep looking you’ll find em.



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