Well, here it is April 1, and I ain't caught a crappie full of eggs yet. Whats your opinion on the spawn this year?
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Well, here it is April 1, and I ain't caught a crappie full of eggs yet. Whats your opinion on the spawn this year?
With the obvious lack of a cold winter this past year the water never cooled below the upper 40's to low 50's so it did not take long for the water to get to spawning temperatures this year, I feel like the spawn was early and was fast.
Been catching females full of eggs every trip. Didn't see a lot of females caught this past weekend but did see a few still full of eggs. The big fish from Arkansas Camp was a 2.95 female plum full of eggs. I think the weather pattern has changed the normal spawn pattern and is causing sporadic spawn times. Just my opinion though.
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Some have spawned some have not my big fish at camp was 2.27 and had already spawned. Water temp on Washington was 75 degrees.
I'm guessing we're half way thru the spawn here.
later than normal imo. i primarily fish farm reservoirs (60-80 acres or less) and every female i have caught still had eggs. crappie are usually on the banks now, but they remain in the deeper water. haven't caught a single crappie in the brush so far. a bud at church told me yesterday the fish are leaving the brush for deeper water in the very large reservoirs (100 acres plus) he fishes. who knows what is actually happening?
I am still catching females with eggs, no mosters, but still full of eggs. Males are pretty black. I just hink this weather has them confused, and I think they are just spreadng it out this year with no spawning frenzy. Just slow and easy.
I've been to some waters that they are still loaded with eggs. Yesterday on the way home Casie and I caught several females and only 2 of them were full of eggs the others just had a nickle sized egg sac. On Overcup weekend before the females I caught were spawned out. I think some spawned early and others are just scattered out.
I think it started earlier but I think its gonna be spread out more than usual.
Same as alway-when their fish sense tells them its time.
I agree. The water temps here are well above what is needed for them to spawn but they are just getting started. I finally caught a couple of females last weekend that had appeared to have dropped some of their eggs. Up to that point all the females I had caught were still out in deeper water and full of eggs. Regardless of anything else they are going to spawn when THEY are ready.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fish Slapped
Being a expert in my own eyes on Crappie and their spawning habits causes me to have a different theory. Temps were warmer than normal this year. This made the temps in the upper part of the water column be much warmer. When I was catching fish on the local lakes a couple weeks ago, the surface temps were above 60 degs however the fish 10 feet deep would come out of the water ice cold. Since it is now time for the spawn, the fish are making their way to the shallow water which is now much warmer than the optimal spawning temperature, so the fish will back out into slightly deeper water to have the comfortable temps while spawning. In other words. Same time of the years as every year, but not in the same places.
I will admit, I have never caught a crappie during the spawn so I may not be the expert I think I am.
That sounds like a good theory RCC!! I'll buy that until shown otherwise....
I caught 21 today about half were females and they were all full of eggs.The eggs werent mature yet so the spawn hasnt happened yet in northeast arkansas.
... I'm down here in Kentucky and I would like to catch one crappie lol, but yea not in shallow here.Quote:
Originally Posted by slaters#1
I think they will go early this year. Ice out was nearly a month early and the suckers are already 3 weeks ahead of their usual run time. If everything else is early, why not the crappie spawn. They are still deep here, but they should still be under ice!
The spawn is happeninig right now in NEA. I have a friend who is a biologist and he messaged me today and said today was the first day he saw crappie on the beds in the AGFC breeding pond.
I think here in Central Arkansas, with this weather and the full moon it's happening for the most part just in the last week or so and we are quickly heading into post spawn conditions.
I agree with CP, I'm cleaning a lot of females that still have the tight clumped, light yellow eggs. But some are orange and getting a little loose. It depends on weather you catch them deep or shallow. I think another week or 2 tops and it'll all be over.
Then I'll be chasing them big redears and bluegills for a while!