Sharing spawning areas?

[Any Luc]

A couple questions;
Is it common for crappie and largemouth bass to spawn at the same time?
Will they spawn in close proximity to each other if spawning at the same time?
In the past, here in northern Illinois, I have only seen largemouth on their beds after the crappie spawn but I saw differently this past Saturday and seeing those bass on their beds made me wonder if I missed the crappie spawn on this lake somehow.
What's going on here? Are these fish confused or me?

[naildriver]

hey anyluc-- that is so interesting because i saw bass and crappies together just a few hours ago. they are both pre-spawn up here, and i been getting them both on various jig. btw, i am in n. wisconsin now, formerly from palos heights, illinois -- also oak lawn,crestwood and evergreen park. I never saw so many bass in the very shallow water--schools of 20 to 30 sometimes, 1-2# caught a 3 1/2 pound smallie on a micro-lite setup FUN the water was 64 degrees where all this happened. Tight lines, glenn

[DENNIS BOWERS]

Here its common for the Bass & Crappie to be shallow at the same time. We Caught a 5 1/2 lb Largemouth yesterday on a Crappie Jig!!

[CrappiePappy]

I don't think it's "normal", or natural .... for Bass & Crappie to be "spawning" at the same time/place. THIS Spring has been so weird, though ... I'd believe pretty much any story about different species nesting at the same time and/or in the same area :D

White Crappie are usually "spawning" when water temps are in the 60-65deg range .... Bass are "pre-spawn" then, and spawning in the 68-72deg range. Black Crappie like the 62-68deg range. So, as you can see, there is the possibility for overlapping preferred spawning temp ranges. And, since Crappie (& Bass) are in the same areas & water depths, when in the pre-spawn mode ... there is the possibility of misjudgement about whether or not they're actually "spawning", or just in/near the spawning area (and are actually just feeding up, pre-spawn).

(disclaimer - the posted temp ranges are what I've read on several different websites ... not personal experience. I don't test the water temps ... I just go when/where the reports are favorable :D And, they fly in the face of the fact that I catch Black Crappie weeks BEFORE normally catching White Crappie. And the Bass normally spawn shortly after the White Crappie have left the banks. This is observed experience, & mostly on waters in KY & E TN.)

..... cp

[FishnLine]

Here its common for the Bass & Crappie to be shallow at the same time. We Caught a 5 1/2 lb Largemouth yesterday on a Crappie Jig!!

I bet it put up a fight!

[joejv4]

with as screwed up as the weather has been this spring ( especially with the snowstorm in April), not mush would surprise me. I wouldn't be surprised to se crappie, bass, pike, perch, bluegills, turkeys, rabbits and coyote's all sharing the same nesting areas!

They still seem to be pre-spawn her in upstate NY right now.

tight lines!

[Any Luc]

I should have given ya's the water temps. The temperature on the main lake was 64 degrees on average and the temps in the spawning bays were between 65 and 68. I saw two male crappie gaurding beds and numerous largemouth holding over beds.
Another unusual site was two of the largest largemouth bass I have ever seen, both side by side in the shallows.
My ice out to pre spawn crappie fishing has been nothing less than terrible this year.
And one more unusual site I have seen. It took a while for me to figure this out but I think I have. Over two weekends, we had a solid line on the graph at about 15 foot down over the entire strip pit, which is large. Now if this were mid summer, that line would be the thermocline that I was seeing but this was April for pete' sake.
We had had very heavy rains over a couple week period and what I have now figured out is that line on my sonar screen was the dividing line between the dirtier water from the flooding rains and clean water below.
Course it doesn't do me a whole lot of good to recognize that right now but if the same occurs again in my future, I'll at least will have seen it before.

[crappiekid24]

First off like to say hey there Any Luc! I have caught bass and crappie from the same area before. I dont know if they share spawning areas or not. I know gills spawn near the bass at times.