When to start fishing shallow for Crappie?

[LedHed]

What time of year and water temperature do you look for to fish shallow water (>9FOW)?
thnx

[Fishhunter]

What time of year and water temperature do you look for to fish shallow water (>9FOW)?
thnx

My experience has been mid to upper 50’s the males will be up shallow and once the water temperature gets in the lower 60’s the females will move up shallow.


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[CrappiePappy]

What time of year and water temperature do you look for to fish shallow water (>9FOW)?
thnx

That might depend on how cool your water gets during the "Winter" period ... based on your normal weather patterns & how far North or South your location is.
But, yeah ... as Fishhunter has said, when the waters get above the 50deg mark they start moving towards the spawning areas. Above the 60deg mark they're actively feeding & seeking bedding spots. Above 70deg mark they're actively spawning and likely to be in all three phases of the spawn (pre-spawn, spawn, post spawn) since they don't all respond to the conditions at the same time or temps.

Weather and water level changes can cause them to start/stop/restart the spawning process, making it last for anywhere from a couple of weeks to several weeks in total. It's generally thought that the larger fish move in first, and the progression moves on down the size range of the fish to the smallest spawning aged fish spawning last. But, like anything else connected with these fish, they don't always follow the script.

It's also noteworthy to realize that White Crappie & Black Crappie have different preferences for water temps, depth of spawning water, and types of bottom & cover to spawn on (if available) and how long the two species will stay shallow after spawning. But, that's only relative to lakes that have both species in them.

[doggone]

I have caught fish in 4 ft of water or less with the temps in the 40's. If the barometric pressure brings up the plankton and the wind blows it up in a bay the baitfish will follow. And so will the crappie sometimes. Remember...if the deep water is in the forties or less then a sunny day in the afternoon the shallow water may be the warmest water in the lake for a while. The fish will move back out...but if your timing is right you may catch them shallow. I will look shallow anytime of the year...when conditions are right. I look for shad flipping a lot of times. If they are feeding on plankton they "flip" the surface with their tails. I see that I fish under them. Also a dark bottom,grass,rocks,etc on the bottom on a sunny day will warm the water even more.

[CrappiePappy]

I have caught fish in 4 ft of water or less with the temps in the 40's. If the barometric pressure brings up the plankton and the wind blows it up in a bay the baitfish will follow. And so will the crappie sometimes. Remember...if the deep water is in the forties or less then a sunny day in the afternoon the shallow water may be the warmest water in the lake for a while. The fish will move back out...but if your timing is right you may catch them shallow. I will look shallow anytime of the year...when conditions are right. I look for shad flipping a lot of times. If they are feeding on plankton they "flip" the surface with their tails. I see that I fish under them. Also a dark bottom,grass,rocks,etc on the bottom on a sunny day will warm the water even more.

Yep ... and I've done the same on a West bank in Jan with water temps in the 40's ... and the bite started shortly after the Sun started shining on that bank in the morning. Fishing from the bank over a large deadfall tree ... casting tube jigs and slow rolling them back, just like I do in 70-80deg water. Either got hits out over the main part of the tree at about 4-6ft deep, or right next to the trunk where it entered the water in about 3-4ft of water. Rocky/mud bank that was fairly steep & the tree's top was out in 20ft of water. That tree trunk and rock bank probably warmed up pretty fast with the morning Sun ... and the fish knew it. I even saw a large crawdad in about 6 inches of water, poking around the shoreline rocks ... in January in 40deg water !!

[Roy]

Really great question. Last week the water temp here was 41 to 43 degress, hard cold 40 degree rain, rising cold stained to muddy water. I was lost on where fish would be. There was a local crappie tournement that day. Fish were caught as deep as 12' but the better fish were in 3 to 4 fow in the very back of creeks, go figure. Been crappie fishing for 40 years and these fish continue to surprise me.

[NIMROD]

Really great question. Last week the water temp here was 41 to 43 degress, hard cold 40 degree rain, rising cold stained to muddy water. I was lost on where fish would be. There was a local crappie tournement that day. Fish were caught as deep as 12' but the better fish were in 3 to 4 fow in the very back of creeks, go figure. Been crappie fishing for 40 years and these fish continue to surprise me.

I have seen them in freezing weather on some lakes extremely shallow . Don't know why for sure , following bait maybe ? Each February when water first starts warming I see big sows on shallow wood like stumps . Maybe they are sunning like other girls do.

[Fishawk]

As if all of this wasn't enough to confuse anyone. Here on my home lake in Tennessee I do well from December thru April and some years into May by fishing between 25' and 55' deep. Water surface temps will range between the 30s and the 60s. Throughout the rest of the year I never fish less than 8' deep. The lake has a good supply of white and black Crappie and the whites do prefer deeper water than the blacks.
To put it in a nutshell, what works at one lake or river in one part of the country or county will not necessarily work at a lake or river in another part of the country or county.

[Roy]

Agree, most time what works well one day may not work the next, or even in different parts of the same lake

[doggone]

As if all of this wasn't enough to confuse anyone. Here on my home lake in Tennessee I do well from December thru April and some years into May by fishing between 25' and 55' deep. Water surface temps will range between the 30s and the 60s. Throughout the rest of the year I never fish less than 8' deep. The lake has a good supply of white and black Crappie and the whites do prefer deeper water than the blacks.
To put it in a nutshell, what works at one lake or river in one part of the country or county will not necessarily work at a lake or river in another part of the country or county.

That's because your fishing mostly highland reservoirs or Lakes I think.

One of the most valuable things you need to know when you start fishing is understanding which type of body of water your on. That's going to help beginners a lot. All in all though the lowland type waters constitute the majority of crappie waters that get the most attention.

You have to remember that many of the best crappie lakes in the nation only have an overall pretty shallow depth . And an average water clarity of 3 to 5 ft. sometimes a 1ft .

Here fish moving from deep to shallow water is going from 15 ft to 5 ft and they moved maybe 10 yards to do it.

Many times during rain some of these waters get chocolate pretty quick and that changes the game too. And the water temp can change a lot over the course of a few days if the nights warm. And the shallow water can warm as much as 5 to 6,7, maybe even 8 degrees or so from morning until afternoon.