creating crappie spawning areas

[bignut]

HAS ANYONE EVER CONSIDERED CREATING THEIR OWN SPAWNING AREAS FOR CRAPPIES. IF SO HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT IT AND HOW SUCCESSFUL WERE YOU. I AM CONSIDERING DOING THIS AND NEED SOME INSIGHT ON IT IF YOU HAVE ANY
THANKS BIG NUT

[bugman]

The lake i fish has no natural cover so i have put stake beds in the back of a few spawning coves and it really makes a big difference,they are really good in the fall too.

[Mo'nBack]

Jerry Blake and Darryl do this on Lake Greeson and Lake Hamilton in ARK. I'm not sure where they are, but if you do a search on here, they have some great pics on how they do it. I believe they use cinder blocks and run boo thru them in a cross pattern and sink them in 4-10ft of water (I think). They do it every year and have very good success on them. Hope this helps.

[Darryl Morris]

Here's a link to one of the posts with pictures -- http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showth...t=bamboo+condo -- and a brief explanation. Jerry has written a great article on making cover with bamboo in crappie.com's articles section -- http://www.crappie.com/condo/ And here's a link to a thread with more details on the mat -- http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showthread.php?t=12162

Jerry and I have discussed this issue on several occasions and we both firmly believe the single most important aspect of "recruitment" is adequate "spawning real estate." By that we mean the area of a body of water where bedding fish can spawn. When you think about it, that area is but a small percentage of the overall body and sometimes even less under low water conditions and a lack of cover. And when you consider the matter further you'll come to the conclusion that bedding fish are competing for this limited territory and thus a limited number of fish actually get to spawn. Therefore, the more spawning real estate there is the better the spawn. The better the spawning and staging habitat the better the survival rate or a more successful recruitment.

There are many variables that make for viable spawning territory and these variables will be even further varied with each different body of water. Some of the variables are: water temperature, water depth, water clarity, predation and protective cover. In one lake with relatively clear water, the crappie may be able to spawn in 3-5' of water whereas in a muddy impoundment their backs might be sticking out of the water when spawning.

Last year before the spring crappie camp we dropped 52 bamboo mats in 5' of water. Our goal was to create an ample number of spots with dense cover for spawning habitat. Needless to say, shortly thereafter it rained enough to raise the lake significantly and now our shallow mats were in 12+' of water. Okay, so now they're not for spawning but rather for staging and the flooded banks served as spawning real estate. That is something to remember. Creating spawning cover is only half the habitat battle. You should also create staging habitat too. You will mostly find that fishing the spawning mats early and late will be productive for males and then the staging when the sun is higher for the females.

I don't think you can ever go wrong with trying to create usable habitat for the crappie. The cover is where they live and without the cover they stop living all together. Cover is the KEY.

[Mo'nBack]

Thanks Darryl, that was great!!

[DENNIS BOWERS]

We have plenty of spawning areas normally. Last year I put out some stake beds in the Fall during Drawdown-paid off nicely in the Spring!!!

[possumcop]

It has been my experience that I have caught fish spawing in the same place on the same lake every year. If you think about it, go to the best place that you caught fish last year and try it next year. The water level may be different but they will be somewhere close. As to making a place to spawn, I would say that you could not. But you could make a place like a staging area.

[CrappiePappy]

It has been my experience that I have caught fish spawing in the same place on the same lake every year. If you think about it, go to the best place that you caught fish last year and try it next year. The water level may be different but they will be somewhere close. As to making a place to spawn, I would say that you could not. But you could make a place like a staging area.

you are correct in stating that Crappie will use the same spawning grounds, year after year - given the same water levels & spawning "facilities" being available. But, in some cases, eventually the "facilities" deteriorate ... and those spawning grounds are abandoned in favor of others (with more suitable cover). Making a "place to spawn" can be done, as can making a "staging area". One can actually make both, at the same time, by felling a large tree. The shallow end (trunk/branches) serves as a spawn site ... while the top, that's out in deeper water, would serve as a staging point. (just using this as an example, not condoning the cutting down of a live tree).
It would mostly depend on the lay of the land/lake, makeup of the bottom, water level, and water clarity ... as to how deep and where these "facilities" could/should be placed. One should also consider the legality of placing cover, in their respective waters. ............ cp