Opinions!!!

[shockley32]

I wrote this in response to a fellow crappie fishermans situation. This is one we know all too well. The water warms early fish start moving in and we think they are ready to spawn, however a cold front comes.

Let me know what you think. I gladly welcome your views and want you to express your opinions, we can all learn from one another in a gentlemanly like way! Please respond with a hearty amen or an I don't think so. However you respond please give your reasons.

Thanks,

Brad



I always get a kick out of this scenario. Every year spring starts to come and the water will start warming up to the low to mid 50's (this depends on what part of the country you live in, I'm in the midwest) in mid March. The crappie start getting the urge and you begin to catch them shallow. Most people catch a few for the first time and start getting excited. Three or four days of warm weather can quickly warm shallow water and the fish move in. "I caught some in five feet of water!" some will exclaim. "They were aggressive and the females were full of eggs, they must be getting ready to spawn any day!!!! I'm so glad spring is here, it's the best time of the year."

What a wonderful time of the year! However the fish in Missouri are not ready to spawn. I've been catching crappie since the last of February in shallow water, every one of them are full of eggs. The crappie I caught in late December and early Janruary were full of eggs!!!!

Crappie are a lot like you and I, in the early spring when we are outside on a nice day we seek the sun. Do you eat your sandwhich under the shade tree when it is only 60 degrees? Of course not, we set down in the warm sunshine. The fish are doing the same. They have spent the last several months in 35-40 degree water and and that 50-55 stuff feels great! They will come up shallow and enjoy the warmeth. However they still aren't ready to spawn.

Old timers say once spring gets here there are two cold snaps, one for the black berries and the other for the rest of the plants. It's kind of a shell shock that allows them to go ahead and come to life. When these cold spells, rain, etc... come the crappie will back out a little. However they still of the "urge to merge" on their mind. In Missouri the male crappie will be on the banks making beds beginning in the third week of April and from there until the first week of May it's ambush time! Of course this will depend on extreme weather conditions. The water temp will consistently stay between 60-65 but can jump quickly.

With all that said there are always a few "strange ducks, uh fish" that are out of the ordinary. There will always be a few that will spawn extremely early and some that spawn extremely late. There are also a large number of fish that will never come shallow and spawn in 15-20 feet of water. It's amazing how many nice fish could be caught from the other side of the boat when people are pounding the banks. You can catch nice, yes nicer crappie in 15-20 feet of water and when you boat them they are releasing eggs all over the place. That's a shocker against conventional wisdom.

Here's what you do - fish when ever you can. I love the quote, "there ain't but one time to go fishin' and that's whenever you can." Go on the nice days and the rainy. Go when the water is warm early and after the storms cool it off 5-10 degrees. Try fishing for crappie with "out of the box" methods, the more time you spend on the water the greater treasurers you will find.

Good luck and remember the best is yet to come!

Brad

Oh, I almost forgot - "Go find Limitville!"

[bwillaub]

I always like to start shallow on a spawning flat/cove. If I don't find them there, I work the flat out towards the first breakline. If no fish, then I work the first breakline. If no fish, I work out towards deeper breaks. I think you get the picture. It's just how I do it and it seems to work for me.

[BuckCreekMike]

Well composed. I agree with your stats and timelines in the article. It should help some people out.

[bayoulee]

The ol' timer forgot the other cold snap:
the one that shuts the darn mushrooms down!!!!
actually, I have heard people finding them since the snow!!!

[Joe Crappie]

Amen Brother, I live in STL and try to get to Pomme every other weekend, which is just not enough!! Fish every chance you get!

[Jet Boy]

Great thread.....I enjoy every day that I can get out on the water.

[Jigging15]

I am with you Brad. I love to fish the "Other side of the boat" in the spring. When them males are bouncing back and forth to the bank. I love picking up the big females on the first drop away from the bank. Caught a lot of fish like that last year. Kept the boat on that first major drop away from the bank. Does not seem to matter what the depth just need a breakline or depth change of some kind. The females hang there until they are ready. Hold a rod out on each side of the boat and hang on. I will be spidder rigging these areas this year now that I have the new boat setup. May even try it in the morning.

[grb22]

This post is a gold medal winner! I'm still learning the crappie thing again after many years away from it so this read is absolutely first-rate for a "beginner" like myself. Your advice about fishing as much as possible is oh-so-true. This may sound a bit stupid to you folks that have been at this for a while, but, one of the hardest things to overcome is the intimidation that those big bodies of water brings on. I mean, seriously, when you're learning this stuff it is so intimidating to drive the boat out into a huge lake and try to figure out where the heck to even start looking, what depth of water you should be concentrating on, what baits to use, etc. I know the times that my brother and I got out last year we had that deer-in-the-headlights look; it was like "OK, we're here, NOW WHAT!". We didn't catch too many crappie, especially compared to some of the stories I read on here, but, man, did we have fun. We are planning our first outings of this year and I can't tell you how exicted we are. Will we fill the live well on a regular basis like some of you? Probably not. But we will sure enjoy ourselves.

Good fishing all.

[bwillaub]

That's what it's all about grb. Just getting out there and having a good time.

[Redonthehead]

Another big factor is water level. They can start spawning on the bank, but then the lake jumps 6 feet. Where are the fish - on the new bank or 6 feet deeper at the old bank?