Toledo Bend is still the place (most of the time)

I posted recently about hammering the sacs at Toledo Bend. Got back there this week and tried the same spot where I did so well. 3 fish. Saw very few fish on the livescope. Thought maybe they had moved shallow. Not in that area. Bounced around to other spots for the next 2 days and caught a few. Went back to the good spot the next day and hammered them again. Fish were exactly where they were before and were still full of eggs. Saw plenty of fish on livescope. Went back the next day and only managed 6 or 8. The strange thing on the last day was that the fish were buried deep in the grass about a foot or less off the bottom. Hard to get a lure to them. The only change was that a stiff wind was blowing the last day. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on why they were buried so deep in the grass. 10 ft of water is too deep to spawn I would think. Oh well, I guess that's why they call it fishing and not catching.

I’m no biologist, but my theory is sometimes they do in fact spawn in deeper water than we think. They stage in certain spots waiting on a big rise in water levels. If that doesn’t happen they spawn on whatever cover is available . Black crappie are known to have a early, shorter spawn than white crappie.
If water temps stay in the 60s the black crappie will usually be finishing up mid March on TB and whites should be moving shallow to take over.
This time of year it can be more like hunting than fishing. They usually bite good when you find them, but finding them can be the challenge.



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:hesaid They will indeed spawn in deeper waters. I also believe they do a majority during the night and low light hours. The big girls come and go from any shallow spot but will stage back in the deeper water.

I agree. It’s usually over before I get to the lake each year. I think it will be a lot earlier this year in Ohio.

Crappie spawn down to 18' in Lake Jordan in Bama. Ive always wanted to fish Toledo Bend. My Neighbor likes it alot. He won the MLF $100k bass fishing there last month

Thanks for the comments everyone. The thing that surprises me is that every female still has eggs. You would think you'd catch a few post spawn females if they are spawning. Water temperature has been in the mid 60's for a while now. Water level is falling through. Oh well, I guess we will have to be content with a freezer that's getting full. Not at Toledo Bend but at a small lake near where I grew up I found sacs spawning in water so shallow you could see the water swirling and occasionally see their fins sticking out of the water. After wearing them out there I moved down the bank a ways and found a log just under the water. Ran a beetle spin over that log and every time the lure dropped over the log a white flash would appear and another sac came to the boat. That was a long time ago and I've never seen it since but man was it fun.

The percentage of female fish you caught is so small compared to all the females out there. Mother nature has a plan and that plan is to perpetuate all species. There are prespawning, spawning and postspawn fish present all at the same time all spring long. Nice catch. That’s what counts. Avoid the skunk.


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