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Thread: After the crappie hit the banks and are pretty much done...

  1. #1
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    Default After the crappie hit the banks and are pretty much done...


    What do they do? Many of us around this neck of the woods have various hypothesis's and we have talked to various biologists in the area who share their thoughts. Would be very interested in your take on the post spawn activity of both the male and female fish. Please feel free to make any rational comments to this topic. And what do the crappie that are not of spawning age do? FEED, FEED,FEED?
    Sacred Heart of Mary, pray for us now, and at the hour of our death. AMEN
    For those who believe, no explanation is necessary....for those who don't, no explanation is possible
    For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and the whole world

  2. #2
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    When they get done spawning they start getting ready for next years spawn - that's their one purpose in life. It depends on how difficult the spawn was for them, how close comfortable quarters and a steady food supply are to where they spawn, just how far they move and how aggressive they are likely to be. We find them on the same staging beds they are on before and during the spawn for a month or two after the spawn is over. In areas where shallow spawning coves are close to deep water that may be just a few yards from where they spawn.

    In years where the threadfin shad populations are low and/or we have very unstable weather conditions and lake levels the crappie will be quite thin when they come off the spawn and very aggressive until they get some weight back on. When they have a fairly easy spawn, which is very seldom, they won't be as thin or as aggressive in the post spawn period.

    "After they hit the banks and are pretty much done" may be a difficult time to pinpoint. Crappie will tend to spawn deeper as the water warms up and/or clears up. It's easy to make the mistake of thinking the spawn is over when you're not finding them in real shallow water where they've been spawning for several weeks. If you'll move back to slightly deeper water and fish around any available cover you may find crappie spawning a lot later than you would expect. We usually think of these areas as staging beds, where crappie, especially the females hang out while they are "getting in the mood". But as the water temps get too warm in the shallows, which may also coincide with the water clearing up some, they'll spawn around or on this cover in deeper water.

    By checking the egg supply and the condition of the eggs in the females we clean every day we can get a pretty good idea whether they are still trying to spawn or not. But even when they are spawning we fish the staging areas more than we do the shallow areas. Partly because we are out there every day and don't want to disturb them too much while they are spawning but mostly because it's usually easier and more productive to fish the staging beds than the real shallow cover, especially if we have 4 or 5 people trying to fish out of the same boat.
    FISH ON!
    Jerry Blake

    www.BLAKETOURS.com

  3. #3
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    great tip there jerry

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    Jerry, That is a very good point. I always knew that fish didn't spawn out all at one time but never connected the dots that the warmer and clearer the water got the deeper the spawning activity may be.

    For instance, we know the big males and females move in first. Let's say it's March this year. After they spawn they will drop back or stay put until water conditions change and continue to move out and spawn for the next X amount of days or weeks until they have finished. They may have dropped thier first set of eggs in 2-3 ft. of water because the water was dingy and warmer there. As the water warms and clears up they may move to 5-6 ft. of water because it's later in the month water has started to warm up and water clarity is becomig better. They may do this several times until they have spawned out completely.

    The big factor is whether or not they have suitable cover to spawn in for a given depth of water. That's why it's important to put out condos and such not only for living quarters but for spawning purposes as well.

    The most suitable structure to attract spawning fish is wood and therefore wood should be used at different depths for the different spawns that take place. I know they will spawn on structure other than wood but how do they resond to the boo?

    I know this may seem rhetorical but writing it helps solidify it in my own brain.

    Great thread Drifter and great post Jerry.

    Thanks,

    The Hound
    Last edited by CrappieHound; 02-04-2008 at 09:04 AM.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrappieHound
    . . . The most suitable structure to attract spawning fish is wood and therefore wood should be used at different depths for the different spawns that take place. I know they will spawn on structure other than wood but how do they resond to the boo? . . .The Hound
    We know they love the bamboo for habitat, so I'm very certain they will love it for spawning cover. We have dropped a bamboo condo and caught fish off of it the next day, for example. While our lake was down we placed 89 bamboo mega mats and laydowns specifically for spawning. Here's some links to mega mat threads with pictures - http://www.actionfishingtrips.com/habitat.htm
    http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showth...highlight=mega -
    Not only have we exponentially increased the spawning cover in the relatively shallow water, we are now dropping bamboo condos out from the mega mats for staging beds. So, there's a three level effect with bank cover when the lake is a full pool, the mega mats out from the bank, and then staging condos out from the mega mats. No matter what the water level is during the spawning temperatures, we'll have cover in place for them to stage and to do the deed.
    Quit Wish'in and Let's Go Fish'in
    Darryl Morris

    FAMILY FISHING TRIPS GUIDE SERVICE
    501-844-5418 --- [email protected]

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    Darryl,

    I knew you would pop in with your laid up self. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself at the Grizzly show but I have to say you were "shorter" than I expected. LOL! I figured that the boo would be good.

    You two have been great ambassadors not only for crappie fishing but for what seems a big change in the fishing on lake Greeson. How far are you all from Memphis? I'm an hour from Memphis so just wondering.

    If the dates line up, I may try and make it over there for Crappie Camp.

    The Hound

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    Quote Originally Posted by CrappieHound
    Darryl,

    I knew you would pop in with your laid up self. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself at the Grizzly show but I have to say you were "shorter" than I expected. LOL! I figured that the boo would be good.

    You two have been great ambassadors not only for crappie fishing but for what seems a big change in the fishing on lake Greeson. How far are you all from Memphis? I'm an hour from Memphis so just wondering.

    If the dates line up, I may try and make it over there for Crappie Camp.

    The Hound
    LOL, hey don't tell the crappie that I'm short. Laid up, well crappie.com is all I got to do right now. I've been taking it easy on the couch, the laptop is on the coffee table. What else do I need?

    Not really sure exactly how far we are from Memphis, but I do know it's all interstate highway to Hot Springs. Just follow on this link - http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=e...UTF8&z=15&om=0 and enter your coordinates or address and it will give you a map and turn-by-turn directions right to Crappie Camp.
    Quit Wish'in and Let's Go Fish'in
    Darryl Morris

    FAMILY FISHING TRIPS GUIDE SERVICE
    501-844-5418 --- [email protected]

  8. #8
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    I think yesterday the Crappie's were busy watching the Super Bowl
    Proud Veteran, United States Marines

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    Take care of yourself and you'll mend up well. I know it's kill'n ya to see all Jerry's fish.

    The Hound

  10. #10
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    Hey Crappie Hound:

    The boo makes excellent spawning habitat. I think the primary reason crappie want to spawn around cover is so their offspring have cover to hide in and bamboo is perfect for that.

    I've always heard and read that the bigger fish come in first to spawn but I've not found that to be the case where I fish. It's very possible that the bigger males may stake their claim to the spot they plan on making a bed and run the smaller males off but I think the smaller males are trying to spawn too. Now the weight of the crappie definitely goes down during the spawn be we catch 15 and 16-inch crappie all through the spawn just like the rest of the year.

    I think the primary controlling factor on when crappie move towards the shallows and then actually spawn is water temperature. If that's the case then the crappie that are hanging around the part of the lake that warms up first are going to move in first no matter what their size is. They're also going to move into the spawning areas that warm up the fastest first.

    Crappie that are hanging around in deeper, cooler water or in areas of the lake that don't warm up as fast probably won't be moving in at the same time. They'll head in to spawn when the water they are in warms up enough to send them on their way.

    It's been purported that it's the lengthening hours of daylight that spurs crappie into spawning but if that were the case they would spawn up north at the same time or even sooner than they spawn in the south.

    The reason I say that is because on or about December 22 we have our shortest period of daylight hours (sunrise to sunset) of the year everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice. Each day after that until on or about June 22nd the period of daylight hours gets longer. The farther you go north the greater the difference in additional daylight hours is each day.

    For example, by the 1st of April the period of daylight hours in Orlando, Florida is only 12-hours and 29-minutes but on the same day in Minneapolis, MN the period of daylight hours is 12-hours and 48-minutes - http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php. I suspect that most crappie anglers in Florida would say the crappie are probably done spawning by April 1st and crappie anglers in Minnesota may say they haven't even started spawning yet.
    FISH ON!
    Jerry Blake

    www.BLAKETOURS.com

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