By Shawn Hayes – Fishing Fanatic
Everybody is a Crappie fisherman in the spring when the waters start to warm and the large schools of Crappies move shallow to make their beds and lay their eggs. It’s like there are fish everywhere there is cover.
But that’s not what this articles about. Post spawn Crappie fishing can be tough for even the most seasoned of Crappie diehards.
“They seek deeper, cooler water after the spawn, “says Shawn Good, VT Fisheries Biologist. “ The spawn is a real stressful time for these fish.”
But post spawn Crappies can be caught with a slower more patient presentation. Post spawn can last anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks and it’s the same across the entire country. Crappie go into recuperation period.
After spawning Crappies don’t immediately seek deeper water. Instead they will move to the nearest brush or vegetation. Then after a short stay will move again to the next mid depth drop off or vegetation.
The male Crappies stay and guard the eggs and fry until all those little Crappies take off and go their own way. After that the males and females will regroup during the later stages of the post spawn before moving to their regular summer locations in deeper water.
It’s no wonder why these fish can leave the best Crappie anglers scratching their heads at times. First you have to find them after the spawn. And even when you do they usually aren’t really concentrated during this time.
With higher than normal water conditions the Crappies have had even more access to flooded timber and vegetation than they have had in the previous three seasons. Hopefully this will result in a good spawn and we will see a bumper crop of fish in years to come.
Change when the fish change. The fish don’t disappear when the spawn is over.
Stay vigilant and follow those Crappies through the transition period.
Your determination will pay off!
Shawn Hayes runs Reel2Heel and can be contacted at (802) 558-9161.
