Well, they aren't necessarily on a schedule, it's basically dependant on water temperature. I don't know exactly what temperature it takes to get them going. It would probably be underway if the weather we had 2 weekends ago would have continued. They were moving toward shallow water 2 to 2 and a half weeks ago, but the cold snap drove a lot of them back toward deeper water. 2 weeks ago, I was catching them (the ones in my avatar photo) in 6 to 8 feet of water, but that was on a rocky point... so the water was slightly warmer by the rocks on a sunny day, and there was deep water very close by. I believe they were just starting to move shallower, drawn by the warming water. I went out again this past weekend and found the water had dropped 3 degrees! I tried the same areas but got nothing. Some of the fish that had moved shallow probably went back to deeper water, others probably stayed shallow but weren't very active unless they were in areas of a bit watmer water. I drove around for a while looking for warmer water but didn't find it, or the crappie. I'm guessing the warm rain we had yesterday combined with the forecasted 50+ degree days will have them turned back on in no time. I'm looking to get into some more of them this weekend.

 

I find that you can count on the crappie bite starting during the first full moon in April. Sometimes if it gets warmer before then they will turn on early, but even in cool to cold weather they start with the full moon.

 

Huntinbull, that's interesting, I'll have to keep that in mind and see if I notice the same phenomenon. In reality, crappie CAN be caught pretty much anytime, they even feed under the ice as proven by those taken by ice fisherman. However, I have certainly noticed that crappie are very "on-off"... when they are on, you can really catch them, when they are off, you won't get any unless you're putting just the right thing in just the right place at just the right speed. When I didn't get any crappie this weekend, it led me to believe that the drop in water temperature had turned them off... but if I had put in the time (stayed out there in the cold rain) I may have been able to hook a few. Certainly they spend more time "on" once the water warms up. Let's see if the April Full Moon theory holds out this year... it's about 2 weeks away.

 

Water temperature....Crappies are well-known to be cold-blooded, which means they do not and cannot control there internal body temperature, as a result, crappies' entire metabolism is strongly influenced by the temperature of there surrounding enviroment. Therefore, crappies generally try to hold at depths and in water temperatures that best provide the optimum comfort zone. This optimum temperature range varies, however throughout the colder and warmer seasons and throughout the year and because of this...crappie fishing .all pro-crappie fishermen including myself, believe that larger crappies tend to have better cold water tolerance than do smaller crappies. This may be a factor why larger crappies are generally found holding somewhat deeper than smaller crappies throughout most of the year.....( Spawning Temps for Crappie is the range of 62 to 65 degrees, )....JIM...CL....

 

I have read a lot of articles that say that when the water hits 55 degrees or there about then crappie start getting ready to spawn. WB was 42 on Sunday on the surface so there is a long way to go. The warm rain yesterday will certainly warm the water up quite a bit, but it is not a time thing it is a conditional response to the water temperature and the weather. Sunday we caught all are fish at a depth of 8 feet or greater.

 

this week might tell the tale the water temp should start rising with the warm temps we are gonna get with the rain which means we are gonna get warm rain hopefully and that should rise the water temp. the water usually has to hit 48 to 50's for the crappie to spawn now this week with the warm temps by the weekend you will probably start getting some come in but that water temp has to get higher before the good crappie spawn starts from what i have been reading.

 

The actual spawn won't happen 'til the water warms another 10 degrees or more, but as the water creeps upward, crappie will be caught shallower and shallower. They'll be found in shallow water ahead of spawning time, especially shallow water that warms quickly... such as areas with dark bottoms, warm inflows, and rocky areas (especially ones that face south 'cause they get the most direct sun). If I get out this weekend and find surface temps around 43 to 45, I'll be focusing on the 6 to 10ft range adjacent to deeper water, and I'll keep an eye on the temp, 'cause usually in cold water, if you find a place that's a degree or two warmer, you'll find active fish.

 

We went out a couple of weeks ago and I didn't get a single bite on crappie. I was fishing in about 20 feet of water from bottom to about 6 feet deep. Adjusting my depth over time. Nothing! However my dad was 2ft from me fishing about 7 feet deep and was tearing nice sized gills up. So I'm inclined to believe everything I hear about the water temp

 

You can bank on the spawn happening around mother's day. Depending on the weather, mother's day could be in the beginning, middle, or end of the spawn. Regardless, crappie will be spawning on mother's day.

 

It's not the spawn yet, but there are a few to be caught from shore right now.The last few i caught were only 3 ft down. Another old saying(which seems to be true) is when the lilac bushes are popping. But all that aside, CrappieLover is dead on with the 62-65 mark. though the males will arrive first. ive gotton into good bunches of males from shore when the water temp was 58-60.

 

i don't know all the science as to when they should be spawning but last week i cleaned 45 nice ones all caught from shore in 2-4 feet of water at Pymatuning. they were mostly fat females. they were hitting good but only if the sun was shining. it was cloudy Sunday and well.....0.