Kirk, thanks for keeping us posted on the crappie happenings. I've always thought females moved in and out of spawning beds and didn't put all their eggs in one nest. Only a theory for me, but watching how fish move around in the shallows during spawning gave me the impression the females may take several nights to fully spawn out the eggs. Never really considered whether a male made more than one nest, but no reason they wouldn't. I think crappie spawning is more a community venture than say bass spawning. We've all been to those good spots during spawning time and caught 10-30 crappie out of one small spot no bigger than 15X15 ft. Sort of like a doe in heat with several bucks chasing her. Once the dominant buck breeds her and leaves, the next dominant buck moves in. Interesting for sure.

wow its interesting how positions are changing as the facts are coming in. First, the theory was crappie spawn when water temps reach xyz/. PERIOD ,, Now, its when the eggs are mature, the moon is full, they might spawn 3 or four times before they are done, and so on. So now, does moon phase trumph water temp? does maturity of eggs trump both? This is like listening to AL GORE. The opinion keeps changing to suit the situation. whats next?

A few things that I have noted, without out getting into all of the details.

Water temperature is the biggest factor for fish to move shallow in the spring.

Prime spawning water temperature, does not mean a spawn will occur overnight or within weeks.

The moon phase, effects the spawn greatly.

The moon phase has a major factor on feeding times and fish behavior.

It can take weeks for one female to spawn out.

I have noted and dated the fertilization of a spawning bed, assuming that they are eggs from the female in the bed. I have not seen any eggs or fry at this point. It's unknown at this point, how long it takes the eggs to hatch.

Three crappies can eat 1/2 pound of minnows in a week during the spawn.

The aggression of a male crappie is at natures finest, unbelievable.

Ken's statement, "The 3 things that crappie look for" is dead on!

Just a few notes.

TexExp was first to mention water clarity and that makes a big difference. Not only in how deep the crappie will spawn but the biggest factor in how fast the water will warm up.

The clearer the water the slower it will warm and also the deeper the fish will spawn.

Will the water in 2' be warmer than the water in 25-30'? Probably so because the water will be a little clearer and the light is not penetrating to the lake bottom and warming it also.

Some bass have been seen spawning in forks of trees in 25-30' of water. I would bet because of clarity in said deeper water which results in a colder temp that these fish will spawn 2 weeks to a month after the bass in shallow water.

JMHO

This guy seems to enjoy the bright rays of daylight each morning that penetrates the the glass on the front door of the house. (Big eyes and sunlight, maybe a myth.)

you will soon notice once the sun gets higher, the crappie will sit right on the fringe, on the shady side, but with his nose right at the fringe where shade and sun meet. They like the morning sunlight but not real bright light, . I studied a crappie for close to a year in a big tank. Also leave the light on all day then at night turn all the lights out in the house, and in the tank and see what happens . all hell will break loose, and they will go on a feeding spree. The minnows eyesight doesnt adjust as fast, and they will rise to the top of the tank, and the crappie will hammer them.

Steve, nothing has changed at all. It's like pieces of a puzzle; you have to put them all together to get the whole picture. No one factor is going to trump all else except oxygen. And since that's not a problem in the spring, it's a non factor. You have your theories and I have mine. Fish on.

It certainly is a puzzle. One of which I am not aware of and do not recognize all of the pieces. Good to see the exchange of information because you never know what you may learn.

Keep in mind that fish tank conditions are not lake conditions. Reminds me of that Blackfish movie. The SeaWorld folks said one thing and the marine biologists said another. Captivity changes behavior.

According to these guys the fry hatch within 2-3 days. Spawning occurs between March and July depending on water temps and latitudes. Wonder if they are referring to water temperature differences as related to their differences at the same time of year depending on latitude. Or do they mean latitude is an independent variable? I suspect the prior.
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/BlackCrappie/BlackCrappie.html

Black crappie and white crappie also have different habitat preferences so their spawning habits may differ accordingly. It's fun to learn about the science behind the hobby!

Contrasting Colors.

Anybody notice how many people are posting about catching crappie in 3-5 FOW right now? And reports of females with eggs? Just so folks don't think my first post was mis-leading, I simply stated what temp the crappie started looking shallow. Didn't say anything about when the spawn ends, but I did say both species like the temps warmer. Right now with water temps 70-72, plenty of fish are continuing spawning. And I did say that spawning continues into late April or early May. The posts I'm reading now indicate that to be true. As Angler Management said, spawning will take place in temps from 55-75.

Even with the temps far below avg this past winter, seems this has been a good year for crappie fishing so far.
Good fishing everybody.