Baffled we are ?

I just have to start this topic up for conversation this year . We have water temps that should have the fish up shallow in all our traditional spawning areas and yet none are in those spots this year on any of the lakes here locally . Water temps. of 64 to 66 on most lakes around ft worth and yet no fish in short water and yet I know factually lakes that have lower temps. in this region slightly west of town in the low 60 degree range are lit up in the spawn and some in other areas have temps. around 66 east of town and on fire with fish shallow as well . I suspect something other than the water temp. is in play here but have yet to figure it out myself .
So why would crappie right between these areas in mid range water temps. that should have them close to the bank not have fish close to the bank ? We don't get it for sure and its really strange for sure that lots of these spots have bream up and no crappie as well .
I don't normally have much of an issue ketching crappie locally and right now I even have a guide buddy asking me where they went as well . So short of an alien abduction toss out them guesses and help us crack this here egg .
will go to a spot I hope tomorrow that will correct the issue , but man I hate to drive that far to ketch a crappie darnit .....:Rofl

Always enjoy your posts! The fact is, that's why they call it "fishing".....and NOT, "catching"! The fish are where they want to be. It's up to us to figure them out I guess. That's the challenge.....that's the fun!

When you figure it out, please let us all know. Most all of the time I'm wondering why the fish are not where I think they are supposed to be! doh :banghead

I am so thankful one of our best contributors has observed a situation that has stymied my brother and myself. We were excitedly poised for the spawn and in spite of the occasional and sporadic tuxedo clad male caught there appears no activity on the sandy shores. Water temp is 64 degrees, a few days in a row bright sunshine, outside air temp a comfortable 60 to 70 degrees. Heck, even the water has cleared up some in spite of no vegetation because of the introduction of Asian carp. We have just chalked it off to our lake (Lake Austin) being a constant level lake and being different. Yesterday we found three fish all on brushpiles and no activity in the shallows. We will continue to search. Thanks, Ketchn, for making us feel normal again.


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Originally Posted by Slab

When you figure it out, please let us all know. Most all of the time I'm wondering why the fish are not where I think they are supposed to be! doh :banghead

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X2! Great observation and post.


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Maybe ya'll missed the spawn ??
I know for a fact a lot of people had no clue they had started spawning around March 1. The water was 58 degrees. Every Male was black as coal and some of the females had empty egg sacks, others were still full.
For a week I was catching them while all the other boats were out in deeper water. ( catching smaller fish )
I will say the strikes were very light for spawning fish and I had to pester some into biting.

Edit- Also , this could be one reason its off this year- We had lots of rain and high water, this may have triggered an early spawn ??

In one spot I suspect just that brother ...the other 7 lakes not ....the white crappie never showed up anywhere , just the blacks on one lake and no whites there either ...

And we fished most every week and focused on spawn since January since we could not figure out winter fishing.


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How fast did the water temps rise? Are the temps normal now or a little early? Mother nature can accelerate the water temps but not the spawn. Its gonna be roughly the same time every year. Just because water temps are right doesnt mean the eggs are. They will not dump premature eggs. And if u have big fluctuations in water temps the fish are gonna hang out where it is comfortable and constant until its time.

Crappies begin spawning when the water hits 57 degrees; any activity before or after the spawn is primarily crappie feeding on fish shallow or deep.

Pre-spawn success results in numbers and much of the time a fish on every cast due to crowding. That's when every angler thinks (or hopes) it will last the rest of the year only to find that water over 65 degrees lessens school enrollment with small groups the norm.

My local lake has prespawn crappie areas that change sometimes from year to year, but usually coinciding with weed growth - specifically the size of pad leaves. Below a certain size, few fish; mid-growth size - most fish; full size growth - far fewer fish. It's been a seasonal pattern that has served me for 30 years on more waters than not. The right size pads will hold crappie as deep as 4.5' and as shallow as 2' and pads may not be in the areas but that are at least 10-20' nearby shallow areas.

Great insights, for sure. Unfortunately Texas Parks and Wildlife responded to lakefront home owners who were inconvenienced by hydrilla and duckweed so introduced Asian carp that ate every living green thing so weed growth is not relevant. The ambient temp air fluctuations may be relevant although the water temp has risen from 52 degrees during winter to the current 64 degrees and on a straight line upwards a couple of degrees, or so, each month. It is a constant level lake but little water has flowed through as memories of past droughts still prevail. Again, great insights on your lakes. We will continue to monitor and fish ours whether we figure it out, or not. Cheers!


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Same thing happened to my local lake: DEC allowed homeowners to stock 5000 hybrid carp and the weeds were gone other than pads. Warm water patterns will be changed for years.

Here in North Carolina, we're seeing the opposite. Fish are all over the banks and the water temps are in the high 40's and low 50's. Crazy.