is this here old male crappie in the....
post
past
or present spawning mode ?
please tell me what yawl think about him
AND yes we still go in the rain this time of year down here ......:cheers2
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is this here old male crappie in the....
post
past
or present spawning mode ?
please tell me what yawl think about him
AND yes we still go in the rain this time of year down here ......:cheers2
I'll Play...Quote:
Originally Posted by Ketchn
His Black Spawning color is not present, and his tail is torn up....so that rules out present, and would leave Pre or post.
Our Crappie are not close yet, Crappie in Florida, Southern GA, and LA have spawned.
I would say he's done with the spawn...so Post!
Yes
yes he was most certainly finished and healing his wounds .......
in about 8 foot of water with a bunch of others just like him ......
next lake .....much larger body of water .....
here is a large female crappie from yesterday 3/31/16
what about her ?
Looks like she's laid out .
Looks like it needs a fillet knife
she got the knife and he didn't .....
and YES she was past done just like him .....
I checked her out myself
started this thread to make folks aware that crappie have no thermometer ...
the water temp where we found her was 68 .....
and she was deep and resting ....
Crappie do have a thermometer...Crappie spawn in shallow water at certain temps....if she was spawned out then her job was done at the proper temps!
Just because your gauge showed 68 doesn't mean that the water deeper wasn't warmer...too many times, people get surface temps and pattern off of it.
You have to know the temps where the fish are to fully understand what is going on.
I have a BIG Weighted pool thermometer and drop it down with marked depths to take temps when needed. No SPECKulating that way!
ok lets be a bit more specific on the water temps there ....in 2 feet of water it was 66 and out in open water where it was deeper at around 10 foot to 14 foot it was 68
that said the cause is recent cool rains cooling the shallower waters .....this lake has a maximum depth of about 15 foot and much of the lake is 10 or under ......
the thing that screams volumes is that these fish very probably spawned a month ago and i am fairly sure the water was considerably cooler than the so called optimum water temps so frequently advertised as being when they spawn here in this area .....and that number is 68 .
i feel sorry many times for folks that have limited time to go ketch fish and depend on people that should know that give out bad advice and information and am just giving examples to those out there trying to decide what to do when ....this year many fish were up shallow way before they were "supposed" to be according to the water temps
i dont know why or what the causes are but we have some lakes that are staying closer to tradition and many others that are not ...
our typical is not so typical this year in many spots around dfw most probably due to the much higher water levels than the past several years ......
KetchnQuote:
Originally Posted by Ketchn
Not trying to argue....so don't take wrong.:)
So when you say the deep water was 68, is that temp off your mounted point under the boat?....if it is, that is considered "Surface Temp". Surface temps in Shallow water can raise several degrees in just a few hour. Rocks, dark bottoms, etc., can hold temperature longer than surface water.
Temps can Vary ALOT in deeper water....that's why I measure with the pool thermometer. During longer Cold Fronts the surface temp may be 10 degrees colder than temps at depth....Normally 10 degrees is the Max, before you have a turnover (mixing).
Thermoclines and turnovers are a whole 'nother large and mostly misunderstood phenomenon. NORMALLY, lakes only have a Spring and Fall turnover, and a summer and Winter Thermocline.
i agree and understand the surface temperatures are typically warmer this time of year
and more so in the hotter months as well .....i just dont put much play in the water temp as do alot of crappie anglers was my point sir .
it seems the more i chase these fish the more in understand they vary considerably in what they want to do when on different water bodies .
we have fish in some lakes just starting to move up and in others less than 30 minutes way they are done already .
there is alot more to this puzzle than meets the eye was where i was going with this.
No Problem...this is actually a good DISCUSSION topic!
IMHO, Crappie and All Fish species in general, are HIGHLY wired into water temps....Water Temps drive the whole underwater ecosystem. Normally every pattern is driven by Temperature. And Yes, like everything else with fishing there are variables like depth, rocks/substrate, water color, bank cover, Downed trees, sun or clouds, fronts, etc.
Temps guide spawning, movement to deep or shallow water, feeding, oxygen needs, cover choices, etc.
If your lake is shallow, it will rise or fall in temperature quickly with wild swings, a deep lake is slower to fluctuate and is normally more stable.....But you also must know what the temps are where the fish are, and most of the time is not on the surface or 2 foot down.
Rocks can heat up and hold heat in shallow water throwing off temps compared to the main lake...fish can spawn in normal substrate that has a lot of shallow rip-rap, steel walls, etc, even though the main lake is not at the temp "We" give as a "guideline" for spawning!
ONE of the main things needed for a successful spawn are STABLE Temps in the range that Crappie like...Again IMHO, if Females are ripe and they have 3 days where the water temp is at 60 degrees at 10 feet deep, and extra heat from surrounding rocks, has the shallows (5 ft and less) a few degrees warmer, then they will drop!
What we see in a few of our lakes is that the BIG Slabs, spawn in PRIME locations in 8-10 feet of water and the smaller fish get the shallow less desirable spots. The smaller fish are normally the last to spawn and they are ravaged by the predators (bream, craws, small fish).
A prime location for Crappie Spawning would be 1 big isolated rock on a hard gravel substrate. This allows the Male to build by the rock, offering protection on the blind side, and easier nest guarding, but yet no places for predators to hide! This is where you see the Largest fish in our area.