Do Crappies stick around the spawning beds after the eggs have been dropped?

Crappie spawn in the springtime when the water starts warming up a bit. The specific temperature can range from 50 degrees to sixty six degrees depending on what particular kind of crappie and what part of the country they are in. Of course they can move in to spawn only to put everything on hold if a late cold front moves through. The conditions have to be just right to preserve the species.

During the spawn they actually do not stay in the shallow water much. They will move in to drop their eggs, stay a couple of hours and then move back out to the deeper water until it is time to drop a new batch.

So the answer is no, they don’t hang around. Crappie’s locations usually depend mainly on two key factors, the first being water temperature and the second being structure. So generally speaking, the warmer the water gets (like into the summertime), the deeper they tend to go. If they can find it they enjoy a water temperature in the sixties.

Sometimes that means drop offs are a good place to jig for crappies. The deeper water means cooler temperatures and the face of the drop off provides the structure they like. So now you can see how water temperature and structure work in unison and are the key to consistently finding fish.

It is a good idea to have a thermometer that you can submerge to find the water with the most promising temperature. Once you know that depth you’ll know how deep to jig or put your minnow.

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