Crappie Migration

[mighty]

When crappie migrate do they travel miles or will they stay around the area the spawn?
What I mean is after spawning will the crappie travel miles away or stay in the vacinity of where they spawned. I am preparing for the summer and where to find them.

[DENNIS BOWERS]

Mighty, I beleive they travel to the closest spawning areas. I know here they come several miles to reach the same grounds that always hold them. I do know they follow the same routes year after year.

[Moose1am]

Mighty:
I wish we knew the answer to this question. I have been asking myself this question for at least 30 years.

Kentucy State Wildlife Officials did a short study on crappie in KY lake using radio tracking devices.

I have not seen the final report. But they did post some preliminary data on the KY DNR web site.

All the books I have read state that the crappie migrate from the main lake into the creeks and then into the back of the bays. They follow the old creek beds and ditches from deep water into the shallows.

But how far they travel is a good question.

When crappie migrate do they travel miles or will they stay around the area the spawn?
What I mean is after spawning will the crappie travel miles away or stay in the vacinity of where they spawned. I am preparing for the summer and where to find them.