I don’t think the spawn is late at all, just typical of what happens based on weather.

I have been catching spawning crappie in 1-3 feet on water since February 27, when the full moon in early March hit, just like always, we had a good push of fish move shallow and spawn. The last couple of weeks have been hit or miss due to rain, cold fronts, and low temps.

For me some days it’s slow, only 2-5 fish, other days you will find a good wad of fish that moved up and catch them good. This pattern is normal, during the spawn it’s inconsistent like always.

All fish don’t spawn the same time, it’s a long process, if you wait till end of April when some people say is the best time you have missed half to 3/4 of the spawn in my opinion. Most of the lakes I fish in North Tx, the early spawners are typically the bigger fish too.

Just as an example, one little cove Sunday, caught 30-35 in it very shallow, Wednesday did not get a bite after the colder temps and north wind. This is just what happens during the spawn with unpredictable weather.

+1

Exactly: same pattern every year.

Yes sir !! Been catching decent numbers since end of feb first of March. !!! It’s hammer time !!!

I have been fishing lake Texoma from a boathouse, boat, and creeks at Hagerman for 30+ years and this is the worst year of fishing I have ever had. Still have hopes it will pick up.

I think it is just a little late this year. The weather has been unstable with the amount of rain and cold fronts we have had. Hopefully things start to settle down next week.

If you have waited this long to fish your spawning areas on your lakes you are way behind. !! We been catching spawning crappie in creeks since Feb 25 th !! JS

Waco is further south by far than Texoma and I have been hitting creeks regularly and known spawning areas since early March. On the lakes I fish the spawn never got in full swing. The frogs and minnows are just beginning to get moving. In fact even the blackflys are just barely coming out.

Texoma they usually don’t even start to move up until now, and they stay shallow well in to may. Waco is a lot further south and most of the lakes down there are smaller. Texoma is massive, that water takes a long time to warm up. In north texas in general they are not done spawning, as a matter of fact most places they’re just now moving up. Don’t let anyone tell you the spawn is over on texoma. Also, it gets quit a bit colder up there in the winter, so that adds to the warm up factor.

Caught crappie shallow in NE TX early March. Since then, there have been several cold fronts as usual in the spring. Water temps were 67-68 first wk March. Next front dropped water temps to 59-60. Then a warm up. This last front and rain dropped water temps from 67 back to 58-59. Shallow fish don't like those kind of temp swings, especially crappie. The deeper bite will be more consistent. Cold fronts and rain have always played havoc with the spring shallow bite. Good gents.

I fish along the I-20 corridor.

Today the shallow bite was non existent and the crappie were 10’ in deeper water.

All the females had already spawned.

Fished a few days ago and caught some males still guarding the beds but the size was much smaller than in the past few weeks.

Going to fish deeper water from now on.

Fork today we got more channels shallow then legal crappie. Lots of carp and gar shallow in weedy areas. Moved out under bridge in 18' of water and crappie hitting big schools of bait moving through at 6' to 12'. You could see them on the fish finder coming up off the bottom. One female with eggs and males had their spawning colors.

Pssst it begins. Tuesday.