Catching That Crappie Wave

Every year, starting late winter, well-into late spring and even early summer, crappie begin their spawn. The wave starts here in the deep south and will continue as far north into Canada. It is perhaps the favorite time of year for crappie anglers. It's that time of year when even the novice of novice fishers can catch numbers of spawning fish. Just like clockwork, the spawn occurs here in the southern regions of the United States and progressively moves like a giant wave of crappie fishing heaven. Typically starting late January to mid February, the flurry begins and spreads north through the middle states from middle March through April. The wave continues north through April and May. So if you are a crappie enthusiust, and have time to travel, you can ride this crappie wave all the way to Canada. This may be a little far fetched for most of us, but it is possible to catch part of the ride by traveling a few hours north of where you are fishing. Perhaps the best example here in South Louisiana has happened this past week where the crappie went into a full spawning mode. People were catching limits of nice fish. By this time in March, the North Louisiana lakes will be getting that wave of spawning fish. It is the best time for those trophy lakes in Mississippi, such as Grenada Lake. There are many really great crappie lakes throughout the country to travel to. Perhaps the best thing about spawning fish is that they are usually very aggressive and easy to catch. It may be the best time to catch a trophy fish. Those fish that are full of roe will weigh as much as 7-8 ounces more than they would another time of year. A two and three quarter pound fish may weigh well over three pounds when its full of eggs. There are a range of factors to consider when traveling to places for spawning fish. The spawn is dictated by weather, water temps, and moon phases. If you are planning to travel, it is always a good idea to look at all these factors. There is never a guaranty, but if you do research on a particular area you would like to fish, it may pay dividends. So if you are looking to catch great numbers of aggressive crappie or maybe that trophy 3 pounder, riding that crappie wave may be the best way to do so. Good luck fishing. Hope to see you on the water.

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Comments

Time for the poverty point barrage. Thanks for the article Bob. Well written.


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Very good article.

I always wanted to catch the wave from here in FL and go North. I kinda do sometimes but the weather is a fickle you know what! Hard to plan it right.

Bob, thanks so much for taking the time and making the effort to share your “Crappie” knowledge with the fishing public. Every time I see your byline on a post, I can hardly wait to read it and I’m never disappointed. I’m not sure when these current photos were taken but I definitely recognize the terrain. One last thing deserves mentioning also, and that is your personal code of conservation that sets a standard which all of us should strive to attain.....really would like to know if you were once a teacher or possibly a contributing writer to outdoor publications because every article you write is so interesting and readable.....MY THANKS, ONCE AGAIN ! :fish

see the roe...let it go!!!!!!

Great read, Mr. Bob. Thanks. By the way, I recognize that house in the second picture. LOL!

Seen that one a few times myself, Pastor.

Great read bobfish. Thanks

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by B&M BOBM

Bob, thanks so much for taking the time and making the effort to share your “Crappie” knowledge with the fishing public. Every time I see your byline on a post, I can hardly wait to read it and I’m never disappointed. I’m not sure when these current photos were taken but I definitely recognize the terrain. One last thing deserves mentioning also, and that is your personal code of conservation that sets a standard which all of us should strive to attain.....really would like to know if you were once a teacher or possibly a contributing writer to outdoor publications because every article you write is so interesting and readable.....MY THANKS, ONCE AGAIN ! :fish

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Thanks so much..I am actually an rn that is semi retired. i have a blog that i write and i am a song writer. nothing famous lol..my Father was an avid sportsman and wrote for the local paper here in Houma, La years ago. One of my brothers was front page editor for the wall street journal for years and has published several novels with Louisiana themes. I guess its kind of a family trait. Never thought of myself as anything other than the lover of the great outdoors. I do like to write about my fishing antics. It helps me keep a journal of my journeys and share what small amount of knowledge i have acquired over the many years spent on the water. I appreciate your kind words.

Thanks Bob for another nice bit of info and great story. The wave has started and I'm one that will be glad as it move further north. Man it's getting hard to find a parking spot even in the middle of the week at the local launches. I'll settle for my half dozen fish per trip if I can get a place to park. I know everyone who fishes wants to catch a limit, but when the parking lots fill up with people from way out of town it sure cramps my style. Don't get me wrong, I know they have the right to fish here like everyone else it just that I'll be glad when it tones down some. I myself have made a few trips to other areas to fish to further our enjoyment of the sport, but these are limited. I have never seen so many people wanting to hit the water like this year. The word is out that Bayou Black is the place to be right now and people are showing up in droves. Well good luck to them, it will all soon come to pass, then we can go back to our normal routines.

By the way, we all need to be extra careful on the water with so many boats running. Many aren't very familiar with our waters and some are just too much in a hurry to get where ever they're heading. I've seen too many near misses these last few weeks that it's scary to be out. I've seen boats on step come around blind corners like they thought they were the only boat out there. I even had one do that to me last Friday but knowing the situation I came off my throttle as I approached a side canal and sure enough here comes one of those high speed on step boats around the corner. Because I was going slow, it gave him the time to alter course and slow down to avoid a collision. If I had maintained my speed it would have been close as there would have been less time to react. So friends and strangers alike, ease up you're not alone on the water and we all want to return home safe at the end of the day. Losing a few minutes by slowing down and being more courteous won't ruin you fishing day but a collision would.
"gene"

Hey PPG, looks like too me ya gotta get out of bed earlier. ;)

I was fishing behind a dozen boats last Friday at da Lac. Dozen more running and gunning. Ya gotta be a defenseive driver on da water.

I'm thinking buy u pigeon Friday. Pretty sure I can get away from da crowd there.

Good luck my friend, I won't be fishing until next week if the wind lets up. I'd hate to be out there today, you'd have to be in a very protected place. Just the ride to and from would be tough.
"gene"

With the endless maze of bayous and canals in da Atchafalaya Spillway, I'll find some protected place to catch. ;)