I ended up going to the big Bass Pro, Pro weekend this past and sat though a couple of seminars. Sat though on Jim Duckworth had a lot of great ideas and tips.... Said that when he makes his stake beds that he either makes sure that there is gravel there or dumps clean pea gravel over the top of the stake bed. Said that the crappie have to have that to spawn?
I have never heard this before just wonder if any of you had heard it?

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Never heard that one before. I've seen them spawn on all types of bottom,Although they do seem to like a solid bottom,gravel- clay or what ever,
An ol' gent- that got me to Crappie fishing years ago always like to check out around where they was a red clay bank,said they like to spawn around that.

Ive always thought that Black Crappie prefer a small gravel bottom for spawning, while white crappie prefer a hard clay bank.This seems to hold true on my home lake and would also explain why we have alot more and larger whites and fewer and not as large black crappies.The lake is almost clay with hardly any rock.

I thought they would spawn on any hard bottom or wood. They are usually found next to wood during the spawn here on clay banks.

I was always told they spawned on gravelly type bottoms too. may be a middle tennessee tale

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They may like gravel, but they absolutely don't need it to spawn and you don't have to have it to catch spawning crappie. Crappie are capable of spawning on several types of bottoms. If this were true crappie wouldn't be able to reproduce in muddy little cattle ponds and many ditches off of the various rivers.

Good point Casey. The lake I fish is full of Buck Brush and the majority of it grows out of the ole mud in the bottom of the lake and the crappie spawn all over this stuff. Some of it grows in the harder bottom also but when they are spawning you can catch them all over this brush no matter what it grows in.

CX.

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Frank

So just buckets with gravel, no stakes? You would think that would fill up with silt faster?

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Catch and Release into the Grease

Frank,
I think you misunderstood Weezer. I have helped him put out buckets filled with gravel several times. The gravel is only used for weight that sinks the bucket and keeps it stationary. the gravel has nothing to do with spawning. Don't listen to everything Jim Duckworth says either. He once told me that a crappie tournament was the worst thing for a lake. I told him that guides such as himself were far more destructive to the fish population than a tournament. Most tournament fish are released and most guides fish are fried! Certain fish prefer certain types of bottom to spawn. gravel may be ideal, but it is not absolutely necessary.