When do Crappies begin spawning?

For this question, there is no “one” right answer, except when they feel like it!  Actually, spawning season for crappie usually begins in March – sometimes sooner than later – but in particularly cooler areas may not start until April.  The best way to determine this is to look at water temperatures.

When waters reach about 60 degrees, the migration from deep-water homes to shallow water “time shares” begins.  The journey is long for many crappie, and during this pre-spawning season, you’ll find great fishing near bottlenecks and around dams or bridges that provide some relief and protection from the current.  Upon reaching their vacation home, crappie will prepare to spawn, usually waiting for temperatures of between 65 and 70 to get going.

By the time the water warms above 70, most spawning is complete, and crappie have returned to their year-round homes deeper in the water, preferring slightly cooler temperatures than what will be found on the surface.  For most, the entire season peaks between mid-March and the end of April, though again, in cooler areas, this is thrown off, and the season may not begin until late April and can last all the way through July.

Of course, for avid anglers, crappie fishing can be decent all year long, if you are willing to bundle up and get out to the middle of the lake in the dead of winter.  With spawning season still months away, December can find schools of crappie suspended in medium to deep waters for the winter, with a bit of an appetite that you may be able to take advantage of.

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