The larger fish are recuperating from the spawn. Mature fish are responsible for most of the spawning activity. Below is part of an artical on the subject.
June may be the most difficult month for southern crappie fishermen to locate and catch fish. There is a three- to four-week period during which crappie go into a recuperation period to rejuvenate from the rigors of the spawning process. Immediately after spawning, biologists tell us that the female crappie leave the nest and move off onto nearby brush or vegetation. After a short stay in shallow water, the females then move to the nearest mid-depth drop-off or vegetation. The males are left to guard the eggs and eventually the fry, until the tiny fish disperse. After leaving the fry, the males and females will regroup during the later stages of the post-spawn period before then moving to their summer positioning in deeper water.
Post-spawn crappie can be tricky to locate because of the lack of concentrated females immediately after the spawn. It becomes more difficult as the wide-ranging tendencies of the species moves them into less-conspicuous places — even suspending in open water. Post-spawn crappie move off into deeper water, but not the depths in which they will ride out the summer temperatures. Look for them along any drop-off adjacent to the shallow spawning area that has some type of wood or weedy cover. Three prime areas are the mouths of bays and creeks and steep shorelines