Spawn question

When a female crappie deposits her eggs, does she deposit all or just part of them? I'm wondering if she might deposit eggs in multiple nest. I catch a big girl from time to time that I feel certain has already done her thing but still has a couple small row of eggs in her. Maybe it could be that she is still producing a few eggs after the spawn that will later be absorbed back into her. Don't know.

I have always been of the opinion that they lay eggs on multiple occasions and/or with multiple males, but there are better folks to answer that question than me...since, I haven't done any real research on the subject like some have...Kirk? Ken? Have we got any biologists in the house today?

It's my understanding that some crappie does spawn twice a year in the spring. But do lay all of there eggs each time. I do not know and that is something you cannot learn sitting in a boat.

When you catch a female smoking a cig you know she meet the right male and layed all her eggs.

LMAO

Bahahaha....some of that coal mine logic

I would really like to know for sure. But based on observations over the years, my opinion is the females lay eggs in multiple areas (nests). And this usually happens at night. I've caught as many as 30 males in an area about 10X15 ft when the right cover was there. Far too many males moving around for females to just lay in one nest. I think the female may make multiple passes over nests depositing eggs with males right beside them fertilizing the eggs.

I've seen female white bass swimming and depositing eggs with 2-3 males right up against the female depositing milt at the same time. And this was in the lake on shallow sandy points. I know this isn't crappie. But I don't think the female crappie sits on the nest like a chicken laying an egg till all the eggs are deposited and then the male moves over the nest and deposits milt. I believe the spawning action takes place by both male and female at the same time. Hence the male or males are pushing the female around. It's a lot closer to a free for all than an organized one on one party. Trying to keep this clean y'all.

I would really like to be able to catch some males and females in early Feb and implant radio frequency devices and see when and how far they travel to spawning grounds; how long they stage; how many times they move in and out from deep to shallow back and forth looking for warm water areas; how they move when a cold front blows in; ect. Would be extremely educational for sure.

Here's an interesting read from In-Fisherman http://www.in-fisherman.com/panfish/crappie-black-or-white/crappie-science/

If crappie spawn on dock-trees-weeds-reeds-rocks then why do ya call it a nest?Darrell

Easier to describe the area as a nest than trying to figure out if it's a rock, root, tree limb, weed, reed, tree fork, gravel, tire, brush,; I'm getting tired already.

Leave it to a country boy to ask that question! HA

Because a nest is an area where eggs are deposited. A nest is usually an area where the eggs can be protected or are adequately camoflauged (i.e., A nest is common term for a place where eggs are located) and it is seldom a straw bedded area. In fact, many birds have nests that are not located in a straw nest.
Think about it...killdees lay their eggs directly on rocks to camoflauge them., but they still have a nest, it is just a rock nest....Chew on that for a while...

Oh yea, you forgot to mention caves in the side of the creek banks...just saying...

You guys are funny, Ken, one thing you will want to watch for on the post spawn females is up in the area of the egg sac is she beat up and raw. My thinking is she has beat up side a stickup or rock and just trying to get the eggs out, don't think she cares where they go.

I had a small lake at my back porch for more than a dozen years.

As the temp of the water went up and down I would watch the same fish ( yes you can actually recognize and identify some individuals with scars etc.) spawn multiple times. I got brain cramps trying to decide what the effective triggers were. I tracked all the elements and weather as best I could. I know that water temp is obviously a major factor, but water temp in shallows is almost as much dictated by sunlight hours and water clarity as the air temp over it. I had a stake bed next to my dock and they would put their eggs on it and we had tiny crappie most all year. They would also lay on the Styrofoam blocks anchored near my dock.

The Bream would spawn many times over the course of a year when we were having a mild winter. They actually made little beds among the stakes if the crappie were not already there. The lake was only 2 acres and could change temps in just a few days.

The bass would appear to do a single spawn no matter what happened with the weather.