Crappie Spawning?

[poutpro]

When do crappies start moving in to spawn? Also, I am curious as to how all of you feel about targeting spawning crappies. I live next to a lake that has monster crappies, and they all pile up in a channel in the lake. People will go and take their limit of them every day, and I think this is very unethical, and there should be some sort of regulation on this. Thanks guys.

[CrappieJohn]

Crappies can tolerate a lot of harvest.....to a point. If you have genuine concerns here, visit the place daily, write down the boat numbers of those you see harvesting evry day and call the DNR or TIP. The possession limit is ten and as much as I like to eaat fish there is no way I can indulge in it every day.

Selective harvest and catch and release are both very well promoted ethics issue we promote at FM. With the way today's people are and as vindictive as they tend to get, addressing either issue might earn you a thumping or worse, so to be on the safe side just write down the numbers and call them in. I carry the TIP number on my cell and am not at all afraid to push it.

[JHansel7]

I agree 100% with Tom. If someone is taking fish just to take them, they should have something said to them by somebody!

[poutpro]

Yeah, I don't have a problem with people taking enough for a meal, but when they go there and take 14+ ichers everyday, I don't think it is healthy for the lake. About what time do the crappies start to move in to spawn? It must be coming pretty soon here.

[CrappieJohn]

Look for those fish to be in the area when the water gets in the low to mid fifties.

[Mark Christianson]

Poutpro

In other words, its gonna be a while.

People mistaken the initial migration after ice out, into the shallows as a "spawn movement".

It is not fish moving in to spawn. It is crappies seeking out easy meals.

I fish the Fergus area extensively, and most times from my experience is that the crappies are on spawning beds around mid May and through Memorial weekend.

I said "most times". It depends completely on the water temp as CT mentioned.

[poutpro]

yeah i guess i thought that they were spawning this time of year when they moved in shallow. thanks for putting me in the right direction.

[BLACKJACK]

Tom, when you say water in the fifty's are you talking at the surface or x feet down?

[CrappieJohn]

Black....I am a stickler for water temp. The fify or so degrees mentioned is when the water at about eight feet of depth is at those temps. I was out this morning and the water in our lake had a surface temp of 50 almost every where I went until I got on shaded shoreline and then anywhere from 46 to 49 was found. At the eight foot mark, everywhere I sampled, the water was at 44-45 degrees. The 50 degree water penetrated about two feet and right there was where the fish were caught. BUT, the fish were all relating to much deeper water, 13 feet at least. If I drifted into nine feet of water I could not find a fish. Thirteen or deeper and there they were about 2 to 2.5 feet down. It was just like fishing a thermocline. The deepest fish I caught today was at 4.5 feet over 20 feet of water with some current.

As for spawning, the average crappies need about 66 degrees to get the job started. Not all will spawn at 66, some much warmer and yet some cooler than that. What I have noticed on our lake is the the largest crappies spawn significantly deeper than the average fish and in somewhat cooler water- 58 to 60 degrees, while the smaller fish seem to prefer water warmer than the 66 degrees.

Spring weather can a tough one when it comes to estimating when the spawn will occur and is the reason I carry at least two forms of temp gathering equipment. One in the locator does the surface temp while another submersable thermometer is tethered at eight feet until the surface anfd the eight foot water come up the same. I assume then that the water column has reached an equilibrium and the deeper water temp won't matter much beyond that temp. The reason water temp is such a crucial factor to finding and staying with spring crappies is that they will shut off and retreat to much deeper water with a change in the temp by one degree! If you are unaware that the top of the water column has dropped a degree or two, you might end up wondering where the fish went when all they actually did was to go down four feet from where they were yesterday.

So when I say 50 degrees, Imean at eight feet as well as the surface.

[leechlake]

At our place near Walker, MN I've kept a log and around June 6-10 the past five years the fish seems to be moving in to spawn. Any fish kept are still full of eggs though so they haven't actually spawned yet though. I catch them about 5-8 feet below the water surface in 10-20 feet of water, literally one after another. It's the best fishing of the year, bar none and these are 12-15 inch fish, some a tad bigger. If I keep any it's for one meal and I then let the rest go. We are on a small lake and I feel guilty enough keeping 4 or 5 for a meal for my family.

[juggs]

Big Bass is right. The crapps don't move in to spawn until sometime in May, although they could coincidently make the early ice out movement to feed in their spawning areas.

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks for the reply Tom. I love to fish crappies and its always enlightening to read your posts!

Anything special about this submersible thermometer? Where do you find them - bait shops? Do you just tie it on a string and lower it 8 feet?

[CrappieJohn]

Black....The thermometer I use for depth readings is from Gander. I found it in the fly fishing goods and it is fully sealed and submerseable. I have it tethered on a cord that has a loop tied in the loose end that clips into the mooring cleat on the back of the boat. When hung as such it is at eight feet.

[midnight508]

Generally when the lilac trees are blooming the crappies are spawning

[poutpro]

Do all baitfish move up close to shore in the shallows during this early spring time? Is that what the crappies are going after this time of year? I would like to get some minnows for opener if they will all be up in the shallow. That'd be an easy sein drag.

[CrappieJohn]

Thats odd....last year when the lilacs were blooming we couldn't even get on the water it was so high and dirty....and the crappies never did spawn even close to completely.

Spawning at the time you mentioned may occur once in a while but water temp will be the best indicator. If you want a good generality, the third week of May.

[CNY Lee]

I've been hearing so much about water temp but is that surface temp in the shallows?

[CrappieJohn]

Cny Not really. The only time surface temps are keys are right after the ice goes out until the spring turn over. As for spawning, say they do so at eight feet in your lake and you are relying on the locator"s thermometer which measures the surface temp. It says 66. Crappies should be there right? But what if the water temp at eight feet is still hanging in there at 54?

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks Tom, I'll have to look around for one.