Thread: crappie holding their eggs

Originally Posted by JCCLARK

Crappie can spawn more than once.

Not around here. At least not more than once 'a year'. Many people "say" they caught "spawning" Crappie in the Fall, just because they caught females with good sized egg sacs (& possibly in shallow water), but the fish aren't spawning ... just feeding up for the long Winter, where the water is likely warmer & the baitfish are holding.

But, yeah .... they can spawn "more than once" ... if you're referring to "in their lifetime" or "on more than one bed" or "over several weeks, if interrupted by water & weather conditions".

Now, there was a 2012 In-Fisherman article that documented Florida Crappie spawning in the Fall ... but, that's the only time/place it's been documented as having happened (that I've ever heard of). And it was such a rare occurrence that even the Fla F&W biologists didn't have an answer as to "why" it happened, saying only that "rising water levels" could have triggered it.

Me and my brother in law fished Malone yesterday, caught fish suspended over 20-30 fow. Most were females with eggs. Last few years have caught fish in June, still with eggs. Not unusual. Still eat good...