# Cold front crappie



## Carpman (May 18, 2005)

Hit up clear fork. Sure wish they would open the gates to the parks! Anyway, parked at the gate and walked into the handicap area. Slayed them. Kept the 5 crappie that were over 9" and let probably 200 go between 2 of us in 4 hours. Just cause it's cold doesn't mean the fish aren't in their spawning beds. Just proves wrong the people that say the weather effects when fish spawn. Fish have a biological clock and they follow it every year. 

Every fish I caught was colored up for spawning. They are in the typical spawning areas at clearfork, Knox, Charles mill, and pleasant hill. Just gotta brave the cold and go get em'


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## JIMSWHIM (Aug 20, 2007)

Hi carpman, I don't want to know where you fished at clearfork but I would like to know if you used minnows and where did you get them ? The bait shops I stopped at don't have any yet. Did you use wax worms ? Thanks ! Jim


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## Carpman (May 18, 2005)

Mikes bait is open on 97 as of a couple days ago. I fished the handicap dock at the park. No secret there. There were 20 people catching with me!


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## "chillin" (Apr 20, 2012)

Bahhahahaha! This is hilarious. Best one yet. If the crappie are spawning I'll streak up an down my street buck naked.


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

April 1st isn't til Wednesday! So your a little early on both!&#128516;


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

well they are certainly in a prespawn cycle now, meaning moving close to the banks and still schooling so if you can get on a school, it would certainly appear like they are spawning, LOL I got a 12" female Black from my pond yesterday that was in total war paint, spewing eggs as I lipped her before the release. the are getting close and like all species, there will be a few weeks of overlap durring the spawn. I agree another 14-21 days and they will be smashed up against the banks and brush but like I said, if you can find the schools that are moving in from deeper water fishing can be fabulous...

Salmonid


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## jray (Jan 20, 2006)

[quote="chillin";1989710]Bahhahahaha! This is hilarious. Best one yet. If the crappie are spawning I'll streak up an down my street buck naked.[/quote]


Lol you can catch them in spawning areas I still think water temp is important


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

Time Of SunLight is damn important.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Ya wondered bout this one. Catching hungrey crappies yes. Spawning crappies north of columbus in a lake thats just let go of its ice? Hmmmmmm.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Hmmmmmm spawning crappie after ice out in 35 to 40 degree water? Not saying it's not true but its hard to believe. Water temps need to be in the mid 50s to low 60s. Blacks usually head first then the whites. Just maybe you caught some crappie full of eggs but that doesn't mean they were spawning. Crappie will start developing there eggs in the late fall and then release them in the spring. So a lot of crappie are full of eggs right now but that doesn't mean they were spawning. So here is my question? For those full of eggs were they bright yellow and running?


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Sorry - runny!


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

I would say that by this time next week they will all be spawned out.


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## "chillin" (Apr 20, 2012)

I'm not trying to be a know it all or anything like that but this guys posts have had me wondering. I drive by clearfork all the time and know exactly where he says he was fishing. I know for a fact that there wasn't 20 other people fishing that spot. Number 1 there isn't enough room to park with the gates shut, number 2 you would be hard pressed to find 20 people fishing around the entire lake. I live 5 minutes from Knox and fish it all the time so I know for a fact his post about getting 50 keeper size crappies one day ice fishing is b.s. I didn't get 50 keepers out of Knox all spring last year. They just aren't there right now. He says the crappie are in spawning areas on all those lakes but he hasn't even had time to cover that much water considering p hill and clearfork had ice up until a week ago. Charles mill is so muddy I seriously doubt the crappie are even biting.


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## killingtime (Apr 29, 2009)

I've kept over a hundred nice crappies in the last week and a half and some had eggs and they were not even close to dropping yet. They eggs were still pretty firm. When you catch that many in one spot like that they are on a feeding frenzy. It's been a long cold winter and they are hungry. A lot of them I'm catching have had almost 2 inch bluegills and perch in there bellies. Heck some saugeye are just now starting to spawn so the crappie have a ways to go in my opinions.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

killingtime said:


> I've kept over a hundred nice crappies in the last week and a half and some had eggs and they were not even close to dropping yet. They eggs were still pretty firm. When you catch that many in one spot like that they are on a feeding frenzy. It's been a long cold winter and they are hungry. A lot of them I'm catching have had almost 2 inch bluegills and perch in there bellies. Heck some saugeye are just now starting to spawn so the crappie have a ways to go in my opinions.


Ok,the slab buster has spoken. Nuff said... seriously ben. U are the panfish king!


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## killingtime (Apr 29, 2009)

I don't know about the king bobby but I catch my share. Forgot to mention I have put a lot of nice gills in the freezer also along with them crappie. Nothing caught on any live bait just artificial.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Way to hammer them Ben - I know last year at this time I had several bags in father freezer as well. This year is starting off slow for me. Just haven't been out chasing the slabs yet. I normally am out on the boat at buckeye several times by now. With the water low out that way I haven't been out there yet. I dont know a lot people who live out that way so I don't want to get run off bank fishing the areas I normally fish in the boat.


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## Carpman (May 18, 2005)

Sorry for the confusion. There was a little sarcasm in my OP, sorry if you guys take that stuff to heart. You guys won't have to deal with my bogus posts after this week anyway. Go get em!


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

Carpman said:


> Sorry for the confusion. There was a little sarcasm in my OP, sorry if you guys take that stuff to heart. You guys won't have to deal with my bogus posts after this week anyway. Go get em!


Oh, ok! It would help if your user name wasn't misspelled! The a and the r need to be switched around. We would have all understood then!


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## rcrook02 (Mar 17, 2014)

Guys are getting the fever.....I cannot wait to get into some crappie!


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

killingtime said:


> I don't know about the king bobby but I catch my share. Forgot to mention I have put a lot of nice gills in the freezer also along with them crappie. Nothing caught on any live bait just artificial.


Lol well,close enough.... thanks for the baits! Cant wat to try them!


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## killingtime (Apr 29, 2009)

No problem bobby just figure out witch colors you like the best and I will get more of them.


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## Joshb (Feb 1, 2011)

crappies are biting pretty good at clear fork. they are still pre spawn and the water temp was 38 to 39. i got around 50 keepers in 3 days . lake froze over sunday morning with a few spots opening up around noon. i ended up with 23 keepers yesterday. should get better throughout the week.


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## RatherbFishing2Day (Jun 26, 2013)

I have been fishing 45 to 49 degree waters and have only found one all decked out in spawning colors. They are still schooled with some of the larger ones scattered. I am not a fan of keeping a crappie under 10 at a min but usually around 11. To much work to clean for the lack of meat! However, the last two times I went on, they have been biting. Slow, real slow. Last week I found them sitting in 10 to 18 fow. Jigged them with artificals and each time got about 20 or so. Nothing over 12 though, this 11.75 being the biggest.


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## soulsurvivor79 (Jul 10, 2013)

Good to know they are biting


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## RatherbFishing2Day (Jun 26, 2013)

Headed out today. Hopefully they are biting before the front tomorrow!


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