Small Male

[Crappie15]

I caught this little guy today, on a 1/16 ounce tube tipped with a chartreuse/silver tube jig. I caught a lot of males like this lately, so they must be getting ready!

[CrappiePappy]

If you caught these "small males" in close to the shallow cover - it's generally a sign that the spawn is "ON" .... but that the larger fish have already been and done. Most of the time, the larger (older) fish will inhabit the spawning grounds first ... followed by the newer year classes, as the water/weather conditions allow.
Though it's often thought that the "females" are larger than their spawning male counterparts ... generally they are not - they're all usually from the same year class and are roughly the same size (length). The females may look larger or be larger (in weight) due to the egg sac.
One thing for sure though ......... you've obviously got a good crop of young fish to take the place of the older generation. You should have some decent Crappie fishing for years to come. ..........luck2ya .........cp