Crappie fishing can be exciting, but determining the best time to fish can be challenging and sometimes impossible. Crappie are typically aggressive and can escape all your fishing tricks, making them hard to catch, even for the most seasoned fisherman with all the latest fishing rods and gear.
Therefore, you ought to understand when they are most likely accessible. This changes throughout the seasons, and the number you can catch varies from one period of the season to the other.
When is the best time to catch crappie?
The best time to make a successful crappie catch is during the spawning season. This period varies from one location to the other, but it is usually at the onset of spring. In most parts of the US, this is around February and May.
Both male and female Crappie move from the deep hibernating locations to shallow and concentrated spawning areas during this season. This makes them easily accessible as they are actively looking for food and defending their nests.
Catching crappie during the spawn
At the onset of spring, water temperatures go up and reach 56 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. This condition is ideal for females to move to shallow areas and lay eggs, with males following closely to defend the nests.
This season is when Crappie are most concentrated and often stay in large clusters in a small area. This makes them an easy target once you determine their spawning location. During other seasons Crappie like to nest in deeper water, making it harder to catch them.
The females can lay up to 50,000 eggs on logs, stumps, lily pads, stumps, and other vegetation during spawning. They find shallow areas the best for spawning as these areas as easy to defend and monitor their nests.
When looking for Crappie, pay attention to areas with irregular structures such as stumps. You may find some concentrated in that area, especially in smaller water bodies. With the correct tackle, you can cover the water quickly and catch a good number in no time.
Catching crappie during other seasons
During the summer, Crappie move back to deep waters and scatter to smaller schools. This makes it a little challenging to catch a good number, but you may be successful with the right tackle and the right location selection.
The best time to catch Crappie during the summer is early in the morning and late evenings when the sun is no overhead. Also, fishing after a thunderstorm is an excellent tactic as the temperatures have dropped and Crappie have moved closer to the surface.
During the fall, temperatures drop significantly, a perfect condition for Crappie to move to shallow waters. Also, Crappie and other fish feed heavily on baitfish and other forage during the fall, bringing them closer to the surface.
During the winter, Crappie start to come together in large schools in preparation for the spawning season. This is an excellent time to fish as they gather closer to the water surface and feed heavily hence the fattest and healthiest. With suitable rods and reels, you can catch a good number during this season.
Story by Joe Austin
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