Question: Ronnie, how long does the crappie spawn last?

Capps: Most people believe the crappie spawn only lasts for about 2 weeks, but I’ve found that the crappie spawn can last into the summer. Remember that the crappie spawn doesn’t happen all at once. Although there’s definitely a peak of the spawn, some crappie lag behind and don’t spawn until the summer. I’ve seen male crappie stay on a bed well into June in some areas. The female crappie lays her eggs within a matter of hours, but then the male crappie hangs around the bed, guarding the fry. I’ve seen male crappie go on the nest in March and still be on the nest in June, with the females coming in and out of the nest during this time. When the males are guarding the nest, they want to kill or run off bait rather than try to eat it. I’ve never caught a big male with his belly full of shad or baitfish. Generally a male crappie will have an empty stomach in May and often into June.

However, a female loaded-up with eggs, usually will have a lot of shad in her belly and be loaded-up on food. While that female is carrying eggs, she’s eating everything in sight. After she spawns, she’s slow to recover. There’s usually a 2-week period or longer when the female doesn’t eat much. She’s kind of like an old hound dog that’s just given birth to pups. She looks pretty rough the first 2 weeks to a month after giving birth, but then she starts to eat again, fatten-up and look healthy.

At Kentucky Lake, by mid-June, I can catch some female crappie pretty deep, and they’ll be filled-out and recovered from the spawn. I’ll catch these female crappie in 18 to 20 feet of water on the same structure where I’ve caught them earlier in the year before the spawn’s started. I have a little place I fish on Kentucky Lake before the water temperature hits 59 degrees, and I can catch crappie anytime I fish there. The deepest part of the basin is about 30-foot deep, and the rim of the basin is about 20-foot deep. During the pre-spawn, the crappie always are holding there. But after the spawn, I can return to that same basin and catch crappie from the end of May into the beginning of June.

So, many times the spawn lasts much longer than most people think. If you understand the spawn, you’ll know where to catch the crappie before the water temperature reaches 59 degrees, signaling the spawn, as well as where to catch crappie after the spawn has occurred.  You can catch crappie not only during the spawn, but also during the pre-spawn and the post-spawn.

Poles That Capps Recommends for Different Types of Crappie Fishing:

When I’m fishing crankbaits, I fish with the B ‘n’ M Pro Staff 14-foot poles and use 3-4 ounces of lead to get my crankbaits down to the depth where the crappie are feeding.   If I’m hand-poling, I like the 8-foot, 2-inch Capps and Coleman All-Purpose and Wading Rod, particularly if I’m fishing in heavy cover and need to get closer to the cover. When I’m fishing out of my canoe to reach places I can’t get with my bass boat, I like my 9-foot Capps and Coleman All-Purpose and Wading Rod for fishing cover that’s not quite as thick as I fish when I’m wading.  If I’m hand-poling out of my bass boat, I’ll fish with my 14-foot Buck’s Graphite Jig Pole that I normally use to troll.