Last evenings fishing pic

[slabsrus]

My 25 fish limit of the 80 that I caught last evening in 2 hours. Pre spawn is in full swing in central Michigan. Should be fast and furious for the next couple weeks.

[Luvfatslabs]

Nice Slabs

[bee]

Good catch. Where's the black ones

[slabsrus]

Good catch. Where's the black ones

Only a couple of the males were really starting to take on the dark black spawning colors. They are definitely not in the spawn yet but it won't be long. The majority of these fish came into this bay within the last 48 hours. My son and I actually witnessed some of the spring migration on Monday evening. There were lots of specks using the creek channel like a highway heading into the main spawning grounds. It was awesome being able to share that with my 16 year old as this was his first time seeing something like that/

[bowhunter012463]

Yes sir, those are some dandy black crappies for sure.

[Cmj]

Nice specks!!

[ifish4redd]

great mess of crappie

[FisherMike]

So on bigger waters what's your thoughts. Up here on White Lake I'm believing it's going to be a mite longer?

[slabsrus]

So on bigger waters what's your thoughts. Up here on White Lake I'm believing it's going to be a mite longer?

Is that White Lake, like in the Highland/Milford area? If so, that is where I became a crappieholic when I was just a youngster. Caught my first speck there when I was 5 years old and have been hooked ever since. If that is the lake I would think you must be at about the same stage we are here. Of course most of our lakes are relatively shallow, 40 feet of water or less, and they are stained, which I believe helps them warm faster. I guess it depends how big of water you are talking about. The lake I am fishing right now has over 50 miles of shoreline so it is a pretty big lake. I think for the most part anywhere in the central Michigan area the specks should be getting pretty close to, if not already in, their spawning areas. They might not actually be in full spawn mode but I gotta believe they are close. Some of the males are starting to take on that dark black and the females have began to move in in the last 48 hours so I know in our area, Gladwin, Midland, Clare counties, we should be hitting the spawn soon. I haven't actually checked the water temps on any of my local lakes but I know it is close just by the movement of the fish. It is pretty much the same every year.

[slabsrus]

Also, the majority of lakes in our area are reservoirs or impoundments with lots of creeks and rivers flowing in. The spring rains cause a lot of run off and early ice melt due to so much in flow, which I also believe helps warm the water a bit quicker than a lake that is clear and has little to no inflow.