+1 above I have seen as well

I am pretty sure they have some evidence from studys in florida of a "fall" if you will spawn ...maybe google it ?
to many shorty shorty fish everywhere all the time to be anything else ...
the growth rates are fast on these lil buggers ..
they don't stay 3 inches very long ....

Absolutely agree with that. I know they carry them but I only believe they drop them in the spring. I've caught females year round with eggs in one form or other but never caught a bloody tailed fish or seen a dark colored male in the fall. I wish I knew but then it really don't matter to me if they spawn once a year or once a week.

3" crappie swam from Florida to Texas!

That should be another record for ya.

I see eggs in the fall also, I never have seen eggs that developed this time of the year. That's why I want to see a picture on a news paper with a date.

Wonder if a crawfish can swim from Florida? Or the other way round.

The question that you need to answer is: how long is the egg development cycle from the start of the egg development to the spawn cycle.

Everyone start documenting, measuring and weighing the eggs and we can have some data for a trend on the egg development cycle.

I have requested some data from the fish hatchery in Athens and will pass on the info once I have received it.

I believe TPWD is second to no one.

Is anyone catching the Milky Males during the Summer/Fall. I have caught the females with eggs, but never the males doing what they do, except during the Spring. Maybe someone else has. Think it has to have both sides, for these eggs to hatch.

Don't know about this, but late Spring crappie could answer some of the size issues. I believe there could be hatches in late May, and that would help with the 3"-4" crappie at this time of year. But, I do know that I have never caught a male at this time of year, and had them MILK like during the Spring. So I really never thought a bout it that much.

AND, not going to think about this very much.








keith

+1

My theory has always been that they develop and hold eggs all year long as I've caught em eggy thru summer and into fall and winter. Maybe sole females even release eggs that never get fertilised by males Idk.. seems silly for them to produce eggs in summer, to spawn in spring.

Right. We may never truly know.

Yep... Maybe its the males that know spring from fall. Females produce the eggs and drop when the temp is right cus that's known to be the biggest factor, but males....I can't recall seeing sperm sacks outside of spring myself. Course I'm never really looking either

I do know what ketchn says about maturity and growth rate is accurste too. Crappie, especially black crappie reach maturity sometimes in their first year. They grow quick

the only thing that makes me suspicious of spawnin outside a spring is the mini crappie year round ...
when we ketch lil bittys in the dead a winter and thru out the year ....
and the "state" tells us how fast they grow ....
10 inches in one year at ALOT of lakes ...
its a pretty simple equation ...

And now we have the official version.

Does it really matter? If you catch a crappie with egg sacks in spring, summer, winter or fall...so what...just fillet it, cook it and eat it!