# Is the spawn on for crappies?



## Jeremy139 (Jan 23, 2013)

I was wondering if anyone has been out yet ? I usually follow the 40 degree rule of thumb. 


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Considering that the crappie spawn target temp is 65 deg I will say no.


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## Jeremy139 (Jan 23, 2013)

Thanks I never knew what the target temp was for crappies I always when's by the 40 degree rule of thumb. 


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## Bimmer (Aug 12, 2011)

In the places I have been they are still out in 18' plus. This week is not going to help.


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## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

They are definatly not in spawn mode yet, but many fish will move to shallow bays and creek arms at this time of year, i assume following baitfish that are looking for good oxygen water. At my local lake here in NE Ohio we are catching them in creek arms in only 5-6 foot of water. Like Lundy said though the actual spawn wont start till water is leading up to 65 degrees.... at 58 degrees lots of fish move in and around shoreline cover to get it started. A good indicator of prime spawning time is when the Dogwood trees and Lilac bushes are in bloom.


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## Jeremy139 (Jan 23, 2013)

I never seem to hit it at the right time. I either do really good or I get skunked there seems to be no in between for me. 


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

I go by the Forsythia in bloom...


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## Jeremy139 (Jan 23, 2013)

Is he forsythia bloom a good indicator? 


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## HookSet Harvey (Aug 12, 2010)

Pre spawn staging areas right now.


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## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

Jeremy139 said:


> Is he forsythia bloom a good indicator?
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


That's the rule I've always heard and it seems to usually be pretty accurate


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## sopo716 (Mar 25, 2013)

hmm.. interesting! somebody want to find me a forsythia to watch??!!


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## ekriet9 (Mar 25, 2013)

Was out Saturday and caught a bunch of crappie. 5' of water fished 18" below the bobber a couple of us ended up keeping 50 after we really got into them we put a 10" minimum on them so we didn't have to clean as many. Had a blast


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

during the spawn is one of my least favorite times to fish. I will start fishing NEAR not necessarily in spawning structure at the 40 degrees you mentioned. No tape measures are necessary generally prespawn you catch the big hens putting on the feedbag. My best days last year the rod eyes were frozen in the morning.


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## Northern1 (May 9, 2012)

Lundy said:


> Considering that the crappie spawn target temp is 65 deg I will say no.


lol, there's your answer. But yeah its still way too early for that. Saugeye are beginning to peruse the banks though.


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## jcotsmallie (Nov 1, 2009)

40 to 45 they move in for pre spawn. The spuratic weather hasn't been kind but I've caught plenty of nice crappies in the last week off of the bank about 3 to 4 feet deep. 

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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

jcotsmallie said:


> 40 to 45 they move in for pre spawn. The spuratic weather hasn't been kind but I've caught plenty of nice crappies in the last week off of the bank about 3 to 4 feet deep.
> 
> Sent from my HTCONE using Ohub Campfire mobile app


Keep in mind though the lake i beleive your talking about has an average depth of. 4-5 fow. So that is deep for where your fishing(why its such a good late winter/early spring hotspot).. there moveing now to eat. Couple more weeks and you will see some pre-spawn action. When at times there so shallw there backs come out the water. Temps there now range fom 40-high 40's depending where your at on the lake..
Oh yea you still catching? I tossed some crappie jigs were i was to see if they are there nada. Lol but boy the eyeballs are!


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Here in ohio water temps need to be around 60 - 65. This doesn't however, mean you can catch some nice crappie. I have caught several crappie over the years in 45-50 degree water at a depth of 6 - 8 ft. The key is, you just have to get out there and fish.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Sorry meant to say -This doesn't mean you can't still catch some nice crappie in water temps 40-45 degree.


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## jcotsmallie (Nov 1, 2009)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Keep in mind though the lake i beleive your talking about has an average depth of. 4-5 fow. So that is deep for where your fishing(why its such a good late winter/early spring hotspot).. there moveing now to eat. Couple more weeks and you will see some pre-spawn action. When at times there so shallw there backs come out the water. Temps there now range fom 40-high 40's depending where your at on the lake..
> Oh yea you still catching? I tossed some crappie jigs were i was to see if they are there nada. Lol but boy the eyeballs are!


More crappie than eyes. From catching them deep on the ice (the only deep spot there) and nothing in the shallow to now mere few feet from the bank but yeah good point on your end. Thomas just sent me your pic of your last haul. I want the fish on the left. Let's hit it up minus Thomas haha. 

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## CRAPPIECOMMANDER (Feb 25, 2006)

Early spring can be a confusing time for many crappie anglers, every year I have several guys tell me that the crappies are spawning long before they actually are. This is because the fish often times are found in the close to or in the exact same locations where they will spawn when the water temps and moon are right a little later in the spring. 

What causes these periods I refer to as "false runs" is often above average temps on sunny days combined with a steady wind. The sun heats up the surface water then that surface water gets blown into bays and warms them up significantly more than the rest of the lake resulting in a feeding frenzy for the entire food. This normally takes until at least 2 in the afternoon to happen but I have on occasion caught a nice cooler of fish in the early morning on a day after these conditions when the night temps didn't dip below the water temp.

Another thing that happens is warm water runoff from spring rains enters the lake and raises the water temperature in certain areas. Even rain showers that come on days that aren't significantly warmer can still raise water temps because the water that makes its way into the lake that traveled through the ground warms up considerably. An added bonus too is that this "new" water brings a lot of nutrients that attracts the bottom of the food chain which attracts the slabs we are all after.


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## Jeremy139 (Jan 23, 2013)

Thanks for the info it makes a lot of sense. It is helpful to know what days may be better than others. After all it's all about how many slabs are in the cooler. 


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## partlyable (Mar 2, 2005)

Yea sunny days usually when it has been warm for a few days and fish in the bays that the wind is blowing into. That's how I have always done my best.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

jcotsmallie said:


> More crappie than eyes. From catching them deep on the ice (the only deep spot there) and nothing in the shallow to now mere few feet from the bank but yeah good point on your end. Thomas just sent me your pic of your last haul. I want the fish on the left. Let's hit it up minus Thomas haha.
> 
> Sent from my HTCONE using Ohub Campfire mobile app


Figured thats were your thinking was comeing from. And i should of said best early spring spot for bankers....
Lol both are welome. Ill be there saterday nite more then likley.sty in touch,and will hit it up!


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## ress (Jan 1, 2008)

Caught a few Saturday afternoon in 21' of water. depth of water around 24'. Slip bobber with minnow. cast out to the edge of ice.


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## jcotsmallie (Nov 1, 2009)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Figured thats were your thinking was comeing from. And i should of said best early spring spot for bankers....
> Lol both are welome. Ill be there saterday nite more then likley.sty in touch,and will hit it up!


I PM'd you but your inbox is full. 

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## jfarkas (Apr 14, 2008)

I went to Buckeye lake the last 2 saturdays. in those 2 days we caught 421 panfish. Only like 20 of those were crappie and 3 were perch. The rest were bluegills.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Jesse,i opened up some space...


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## Hoover 4 Me (Jul 30, 2013)

The Hoover crappie are stacked in their pre spawn areas right now. I'll be out Thursday/Friday hopefully getting some for dinner.


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

CRAPPIECOMMANDER, great post. One of the more truthful, experienced, accurate posts I've seen in a very long time. Sounds like a few years of trial & error , along with total frustration have you tuned in. Keep those night time temps above water temps for a few nights & hold on.


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## Basshunter122 (May 6, 2013)

Hoover 4 Me said:


> The Hoover crappie are stacked in their pre spawn areas right now. I'll be out Thursday/Friday hopefully getting some for dinner.



Does this mean they're starting to move shallower around wooded lay downs and brush piles leading to deeper water?


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## Hoover 4 Me (Jul 30, 2013)

Basshunter122 said:


> Does this mean they're starting to move shallower around wooded lay downs and brush piles leading to deeper water?


You might be able to find some at Hoover right now in shallow-ish (8-10 FOW) structure but the big ones are still sitting out deep. I have a favorite cove to hit when the spawn is on and my last time out the fish were stacked up on a ledge in 20-25 FOW right at the entrance to said cove. It's going to be a while before they move in shallow though...these temperature swings suck! The surface temps were 37-38 degrees early last week. I'm sure it picked up a few degrees by the end of the week but after this week anything gained will be lost. Hopefully things stabilize soon.


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## freshwater_newb (May 16, 2013)

Jeremy139 said:


> I usually follow the 40 degree rule of thumb.
> [/URL]





Jeremy139 said:


> Thanks I never knew what the target temp was for crappies I always when's by the 40 degree rule of thumb.
> [/URL]


what is the 40 degree rule of thumb you keep speaking of?


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## freshwater_newb (May 16, 2013)

@CRAPPIECOMMANDER

wow. excellent knowledge sharing. 

this is what makes the site: information one can build upon for further understanding of a target species.

thank you.


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

freshwater_newb said:


> what is the 40 degree rule of thumb you keep speaking of?


If the water temp is above 40 and the air temp is warmer there are crappie to be caught in spawning areas as mentioned before sunshine makes it even better.


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## seang22 (Mar 3, 2014)

Hoover had ice mon morn


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## Jeremy139 (Jan 23, 2013)

I was always told when we have 4 days where the low is above 40 degrees the spawn is on. I really didn't know how accurate it was considering it has been feast or famine for me in the past. 


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## steelneyes2 (Jul 19, 2011)

Again, not the spawn, but a general movement to the shallows following the winter. It seems the warming in the spring leads them into shallow bays. A few degrees difference, sometimes 1 or 2 makes a huge difference. And with a cold snap the fish will back out of the area most of the time just to water a few feet deeper. Last year the crappies stayed in one area a few of us fished for 8 weeks, only in the last two weeks of that did they get their spawning colors and we started to catch spawned out fish. Then one day they were gone. We went from catching fish on almost every cast to nothing. In another bay across the lake there had been no fish prior, and suddenly it was loaded for the next two weeks with spawners.
Keep an eye on the carp, if they are visible in the shallows the crappie will be shallow too. They do the same, cruising for food occasionally breaking water. Of course when they are actually spawning you will know as they make a heck of a racket right on the shoreline. Not necessarily in the same areas but as previously stated, everything moves up to take advantage of the warmer water, inverts. baitfish and gamefish.


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## Jeremy139 (Jan 23, 2013)

Thanks for the information that is very helpful. 


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## freshwater_newb (May 16, 2013)

jray said:


> If the water temp is above 40 and the air temp is warmer there are crappie to be caught in spawning areas as mentioned before sunshine makes it even better.


ah, i see. even though it's not an indicator of spawn, they're moving up to bask in the warmer surface water. got it.


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## mkl (Apr 17, 2011)

I'm with you on the temps being in the low to mid 60s. That's what I've always heard too. However - not everyone agrees.

Check out this clip. This guy has been fishing them a while and doesn't agree on the water temp theory:


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## Star1pup (Aug 3, 2004)

Jeremy139 said:


> Is he forsythia bloom a good indicator?
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


I've also heard "when the redbud is in bloom, and when the oak leaves are as big as a squirrel's ear". Take your pick. 

It's about 6' deep in my cove and I usually start picking up a few crappies about this time of year, but this has been a nasty winter that keeps hanging on.


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