# Crappie spawn



## Byg (Jun 6, 2006)

Me and my brother were talking about the timeing of the spawn, I know water temp plays a big part, but I have been catching nice females for the last oh maybe 4 weeks. I think the bigger fish spawn sooner and I am catching a lot of smaller males with a lot of black on them now. There tales are not tore up yet,but I think a lot of the bigger fish have spawned. My brother thinks it hasn't really started yet, I was curious as what others have been catching and seeing. I know it varys also as where and the type of water you fish but just kinda wondering what the consensus was with others fishing and what there seeing. Thanks for any input


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## partlyable (Mar 2, 2005)

Obviously this is my personal opinion and not factual, with that being said I believe I am still catching pre-spawn crappie and I will catch a lot of my biggest crappie in March most year making feeding runs into the shallows. That does not mean they are spawning to me just fattening up. Most that I catch at that time are females. Most years I will start catching large numbers of males off of beds especially black crappie usually early to middle of may. I know that whites do spawn earlier so they could be spawning now or could have started recently I do not catch quite as many white crappie other than those early feeding runs. I am interested to hear other opinions on this as well.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

I think in a lot of areas it has just started. And I agree 100% with the post above mine about the big females cruising shallow to feed. 
If you play your cards right an can travel you can catch spawning crappie in Ohio from late March to early June. 
But just this last week I'm starting to see signs of spawning. I got a 13" male as decked out as can be.


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Here's what I've been seeing last month or so. Water temps now firmly in the 60s and a lot of places mid-60s. Some higher but it will drop back to mid after next couple days. When water temp initially crept around 60 degree mark caught mostly females with eggs. These, I'm also assuming are feeding females pre-spawn. As of just this past week with water temps holding in mid 60s I'm catching almost entirely males, some with full tuxedos. I'm assuming these are the males making their beds also pre-spawn. Very soon the females will be making their runs in shallow to drop eggs. Could be any day now but if I had to guess possibly late next week or onward sometime after this little cold front we're getting moves through and temps warm back up and stabilize. I personally can't wait, it's the best time of the year. If it's like last year, (cept last year started earlier) the whole spawn cycle will last usually for me til around early June and that's when I'm talking the end end of post spawn. From the fish I've been seeing it should be a good year for a healthy spawn but any significant cold front could change that. 

Good thread. Interested to read others input as well. Good luck out there.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

I'm not sure the difference in males between spawn colors and non spawn. However I kept 8 from pymi on Tuesday. 7 were full of eggs. Never seen the shad running around like they were either. The water was silver.


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## YakFishin (Feb 20, 2017)

This is some good info guys. Keep it up what are these tuxedo colors you are talking about Brandon?


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Last year's crappie spawn taught me a lot. We had front after front and it really effected the fish and there locations. Guys kept waiting on warm weather to kick things off. But on one of the lakes I fished,the fish did not wait on the steady warm up to do there thing.instead of using the shallow laydowns along the banks,they simply spawned a little deeper in a more steady part of the water column. 
I think with last week's warm up and next week's things will really kick off bye the end of next week. And after that I don't think these little cold fronts will effect them much. Water temps will jump enough that it will take a pretty major cold front to completely shut them down..


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## Byg (Jun 6, 2006)

Yak, when its spawning time, the males tend to turn a black color, kinda like wearing a tuxedo. I guess for the special ocassion lol.


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

YakFishin said:


> This is some good info guys. Keep it up what are these tuxedo colors you are talking about Brandon?


Tuxedos are slang for the dark color male crappie can get during the spawn. These are the fish I caught Tuesday. Notice the darker colors of the fish on the top right and 3 on bottom right. Noticeably darker. Those are the tuxedos. These were caught from one body of water. The others were caught on another. All black crappie but the 4 clearly gave the "tuxedos". This tells me the one body of water I caught the darker ones are further along in the spawning cycle then the others. Or it's possible that the males in the other body simply don't get their tuxedos when they spawn, also a possibility. Every body of water and its fish inhabitants have different qualities. 










Here's another pic which shows the with/without tuxedo difference a little more clearly. These fish were caught during spawn last year. 












Saugeyefisher said:


> Last year's crappie spawn taught me a lot. We had front after front and it really effected the fish and there locations. Guys kept waiting on warm weather to kick things off. But on one of the lakes I fished,the fish did not wait on the steady warm up to do there thing.instead of using the shallow laydowns along the banks,they simply spawned a little deeper in a more steady part of the water column.
> I think with last week's warm up and next week's things will really kick off bye the end of next week. And after that I don't think these little cold fronts will effect them much. Water temps will jump enough that it will take a pretty major cold front to completely shut them down..


I agree, it would take a hefty cold front to really affect things now. Most places I've been things are well under way already. Small front this weekend won't affect things much, if at all. Possibly just prolong it by a couple days


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

caught a bunch yesterday at CC... eggs are still in the fish and very firm... it's comin, just not yet... maybe in the next two weeks yet


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## Tom 513 (Nov 26, 2012)

Last Springs spawn was anything but predictable, it seemed patterns were hard to nail down. I think the spawn is yet to come but close with water temps finally being consitant, the old saying is when the Dogwoods are in bloom its time, and they are as of the past week. Ive fshed the same body of water each week from March through the first week of April and can tell you there has been little shallow action, the whites had there pale winter colors with maybe a touch of purple on the tails, all that I have cleaned showed inmamture egg sacks as of 2 weeks ago, I will be out again Sunday hoping for the shallow bite, but wont count out trolling deeper waters if needed. I will say I did fished another lake last weekend and caught Blacks that were looking more advanced, I will report back Sunday night.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)




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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

Not a bad haul 9Left. Today's catch? CC I'm assuming 

My results after a couple hours today. Little cold front definitely slowed'm down. Tough bite.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

brandonw said:


> Not a bad haul 9Left. Today's catch? CC I'm assuming
> 
> My results after a couple hours today. Little cold front definitely slowed'm down. Tough bite.
> 
> View attachment 235220


Never seen one that black, ever!


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

It seems that the times are a bit different due to geographical locations and temps. Example.. Kentucky lake 2 weeks ago was in the middle 60's and the fish were very active and catchable but the row was still firm in all the females. Anywhere south of Columbus lakes are just getting in the low 60's and the fishing has picked up (Good catches) but still the females are full of row and the males are getting darker. Above Columbus the lakes are just short of 60 with spirts of active fish being caught but no where near dropping eggs yet. It all depends on the rising temps especially thru the night. You cant have a 55 degree day and a 30 degree night and see any progression on lake temp. In Norther Oh. I don't expect anything but a handful here and there until after all the warmer weather next week. We need good solid 60's to even start them. 2 or 3 days of cold puts a Kabosh to it for sure.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

Brandon, yes that was at CC... bout all i can get out this year is after work for a quick evening bite... i had to walk outta there with the flashlight!


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## brandonw (Jun 24, 2015)

9Left said:


> Brandon, yes that was at CC... bout all i can get out this year is after work for a quick evening bite... i had to walk outta there with the flashlight!


Ya I hear ya. I wish I lived little closer to CC, 45 mins is too much for quick stint after work unfortunately. Good batch of fish. 

Not sure if I'm gettin out today. May clean up my gear for this upcoming week.


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## Tom 513 (Nov 26, 2012)

I took my two 13yo grandson's and wife to Acton yesterday, the boys were using the 13ft poles off the bow of the boat, I felt like I was running a charter, but the boys went through around 40 crappie and learned how to clean them. Anyway the males defiantly had there tuxedos on, and females were stuffed with eggs, the females that had huge bellies were returned though. We were still catching them deep as most boats there, but I didn't try to fish shallow that much, water was 63 and windy, I am guessing the spawn should start this week with the forcasted temps.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

I've crappie fished for a lot of years and personally I think the crappie spawn is spread out over a pretty long period (month or so maybe) and I don't think that they all move shallow to spawn. 
I kind of pay attention to just how late in the year I catch fish that still have eggs. I think that last year I actually caught a few during the 1st week of June with eggs but normally I will catch fish with eggs through May. Last year was the only year that I've caught any that late. All the late carrying fish are caught in 10-12fow.


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## Tom 513 (Nov 26, 2012)

crappiedude said:


> I've crappie fished for a lot of years and personally I think the crappie spawn is spread out over a pretty long period (month or so maybe) and I don't think that they all move shallow to spawn.
> I kind of pay attention to just how late in the year I catch fish that still have eggs. I think that last year I actually caught a few during the 1st week of June with eggs but normally I will catch fish with eggs through May. Last year was the only year that I've caught any that late. All the late carrying fish are caught in 10-12fow.


John, I find egg sacks all Year in the females, some times they have more blood then other times, but the ones I cleaned yesterday had sacks that where probably twice the size that I normally see, as I mentioned some of the females looked prego with huge bellies, we returned them.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

crappiedude said:


> I've crappie fished for a lot of years and personally I think the crappie spawn is spread out over a pretty long period (month or so maybe) and I don't think that they all move shallow to spawn.
> I kind of pay attention to just how late in the year I catch fish that still have eggs. I think that last year I actually caught a few during the 1st week of June with eggs but normally I will catch fish with eggs through May. Last year was the only year that I've caught any that late. All the late carrying fish are caught in 10-12fow.


thats a good thing to pay attention to... however,crappy actually have eggs in them all year long


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

We use that phrase a lot....."the spawn". Might be helpful to define what each of us mean by "the spawn". If your talking about eggs flowing and milt secreted to fertilize, at least at GLSM we aren't there yet but it's really close to that time. Tuxedo is a good description of the male darkening in pigmentation, but I call it warpaint. Some will have large areas of solid black....they look mean and evil. Males get aggressive as all get out, testosterone is at a high level, and they fight on your line like their motors are turbo-charged. Black pigmentation of males has gone from 15-20% of the crappies we caught 10 days ago to 75-80% of fish last weekend. More males than females being caught but differential is closing and the bulging egg sacs in females have doubled in size in a week. Probably 20% of males last weekend showed battered tales, fins, and underbellies from prepping nests for the ladies.

Water temp at GLSM dropped from 66 last Thursday to 57.3 Sunday morning. It probably postponed "the spawn" for a few days, but flowing of eggs and milt is close. They don't all spawn at the same time. Spawning or not, the catching has been good for 3-4 weeks at GLSM. Catching should continue good for another 3-4 weeks then fade. This is prime time, guys. Snooze and you lose. Enjoy!


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

By eggs sacks I'm referring to developed egg sacks as pre spawn.


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