Are crappie hot and cold during the spawn?

Would you say that crappie tend to turn ON and OFF during the spawn? I’ve been thinking about this because it seems to be happening to me a lot the past few weeks. For a 30-minute period, they go crazy, then for an hour or more, they completely shut down. That seemed to happen a lot on my annual Lake of the Ozarks trips in the 90’s, but I’d mostly forgotten about it because here in Texas, I catch crappie year-round.

If you agree that it does happen, have you discovered ways to wake ‘em up?

Don’t know about your theory...but if you want to wake them up, chum them...

I would have to agree with you. Don't know about the times you describe but they move around or something.

When fishing the marina they will stop biting for us and my buddy 300' away is catching them, I can see him from my barge. Then vise-versa. That's when we refresh the cold drink and get a snack. I do believe they make "the rounds".

Definitely does happen. Sometimes they move and sometimes they just quit. Crapicat gave some good advice (although I hate to admit it) about chumming. If you have minnows, tossing out 5-6 sometimes gets them going again. Mark Standridge gave a tip a couple weeks ago that he puts several baits close together where he knows there are fish, and teases one to bite and usually the rest start up again. Hanging multiple baits around them just might do the trick.

Typical spring crappie. They are just super finicky this time of year and can be super hit or miss. Usually about May they start settling down.

Worst time of the year for consistency. Give me summer or winter

Yeah, I catch allot more Crappie from May on. The weather is consistent and the pattern and depth remain the same for weeks.

People think crappie are easy to catch, but usually something weather related will shut them down in the Spring for days at a time.

Spring fishing is rough, there one day, gone the next. I prefer post spawn/summer and winter for steady patterns.

December is always the best month for me.

Marks trick does work...in fact, if you are fishing alone, just fish two poles, use a tandem jig setup on each pole and move the poles beside each other and lift one while dropping the other...it drives any fish in the area mad enough to bite!

BTW, when chumming, I always cut the dead minnows into Four or five pieces on a board...once I toss them, I quickly wash the board to release the scales on the board...then drop Jigs into them! Also, put a jig on the lake bottom, just to get any picking up the leftovers...

This time last year I had over 200 slabs in the freezer..right now I might have 20! Same lake, same time of the year just crazy weather!!

I fished the spawn a whole lot of years off the banks at night. Sometimes better than others but sometimes not. Cold front, weather change, elevation of water change, temperature change, will definitely put them off whatever had been normal.

I think they move in schools because when things are right and a batch comes by you catch a bunch quick and then they slow down for a bit. Rinse and repeat. I like to fish off riprap because I think the crappie roam around at night looking for bait fish up near those rocks.

Some years, they never seem to move up shallow. Most years they do - close enough to find them within casting distance anyway. I've heard lots of guides say spring is their least favorite time to take clients on crappie trips because of how fickle the crappie can be at spawning time. It sure can be boom or bust depending on lots of conditions.

Much more consistent for patterning the other 3 seasons deeper out in the lake.

Jon, your night time tactics are spot on...I do/have fished that tactic for years both on the bank and in the boat...

Great discussion & useful information!
Thanks all.

Good luck out there!

Just when I thought I had em' figured out, yesterday was a humbling experience. After being very successful on a shallow bite (for me), the wife and I only boated one baby. The fish we caught was by pushing baits in about 12 FOW.

Other than the wind, I thought yesterday had us set up for success. Though we didn't catch, we learned a few things and had a great time together.

With the weather forecast predicting rain today, I'll be installing my side imaging, so maybe I can at least see them. I'm ready to hit em' on the piles where they should be more consistent and less condition sensitive.

Checked shallow and 16-20 fow yesterday with no bites. Found them 10-12 FOW around bridge. Caught around 50 little ones to keep 10, but they were good ones. All had eggs, but where not full, dull colored and mushy. I'm thinking they are absorbing them?

I have seen eggs in all stages from the shallows on tawakoni this week. It is a strange spawn this year for sure.

I don’t know what to say, other than maybe I have a Golden horseshoe in my pocket...every where I have fished for the last two months has been good, well except for the creeks on Navarro Mills...no water in them to speak of.