What is the best month to catch crappie?

The best time of year to catch crappie is during the spawning season which takes place from February-May. During the spawn, both male and female crappie move from deep locations into shallow and concentrated spawning areas. This makes them very easy to target, as they are actively feeding and defending their nests.

What time of day are crappie most active?

In the case of crappie, the best time to catch them is during their feeding time, which is most frequently between the hours of midnight and 2 am. Additionally, during dawn and dusk can be good times to catch them, with many of them also feeding during these twilight hours.

What is the best time to go crappie fishing?

The best time to fish for crappie is at early dawn and dusk. But during the colder months it can be at the warmest time of day in the afternoon. Crappie generally feed most actively in low light, so this leaves the night as another great time to catch them as well if you have the opportunity.

Does crappie bite this time of year?

The best time of day for crappie fishing is just after sunrise as well as an hour before sunset during warmer months. Nighttime can also produce good crappie fishing during warmer months. During colder months, midday, when the air temperature is warmest, seems to work best for both black and white crappie.

What temperature are crappie most active?

69-73 Degrees

This is the peak time for crappie fishing in just about any body of water. This is when the crappie are at their highest point of activity during and immediately following the spawn.

Best time to catch crappie

What depth do you fish crappie?

Crappie like to spawn in areas of shallow water, usually around 2-to-4 feet deep, with cover such as brush, flooded timber or weeds, and with easy access to deeper water.

At what temperature do crappie start biting?

Crappie begins spawning once water temperatures reach above 60 degrees. Usually, this happens right after smallmouth bass and just before the largemouth bass spawning period.

What color crappie looks best?

Orange-white is good at times, but all-white is not so good. In stained water, low light, all-brown, brown-orange, black-lime and all-black have been consistent performers for my best crappie action. In stained water with a heavy algae bloom, the best colors are chartreuse and orange.

How do you attract crappie?

Why do crappie stop biting?

Crappie may stop biting for these 4 reasons: 1. They were spooked by the angler or another predator, 2. They followed their food source elsewhere, 3. They are moving in relation to cold or hot weather, 4.

Where is the best place to crappie fish?

Does rain affect crappie fishing?

After a rain, crappie will hold deeper than where you expect and won't be searching around for food. When fishing, you need active fish looking for a meal to get bites. So you see why fishing after a rain can be difficult. The key becomes finding the right bait, the right area, and most important – being patient.

Can you catch crappie in the middle of the day?

Can you catch crappie during the day? Crappie will bite at any time of the day but during the middle part of the day, crappie will be tucked in very tight to cover or far under docks and will become sluggish in the hotter water. You can still get them to bite but you need to put the bait right on them.

How do you find crappie in a lake?

Anglers often find more fish near the shoreline cypress trees, stickups, weed beds, blowdowns, or cover-button willows. The big crappie tend to be in shallow water near channel edges next to shallow flats or main lake humps. It's usually the cold fronts that drive crappie into deeper water from the shallows.

How do you attract crappie at night?

Jigs and minnows are the best crappie baits, day and night. But at times it pays to vary the menu for discriminating nighttime diners. If crappie are feeding on shad attracted to your lights, shad may outproduce minnows.

Where do crappie fish go at night?

Having a good range of depths is also beneficial so fish can move deeper during the day. Bridges are among the best specific areas for nighttime crappie because they create funnels that center on a creek channel with plentiful structure from bridge pillars, supports and riprap at the ends.

Is crappie a shallow or deep water?

They will slowly move to shallower water when the water temps reaches around the 50-55 degree range. Spawning crappie will usually be in shallow water between 1 and 8 feet deep when water temperatures rise to 55 degrees plus.

How do you catch big crappie instead of the little ones?

How deep should a crappie pond be?

Before introducing crappie, be sure your pond will be clear most of the time. This means you should be able to see a light-colored object in 18 to 24 inches of water, except for a few days following heavy rainfall and runoff.

What is crappie favorite food?

Mature crappie prey on shad and minnows of all kinds, but insects, crustaceans like crawfish, and small amphibians like frogs are definitely on the menu. You may have heard that crappie “feed up,” and while that's largely true, they're not going to pass up an easy meal on the bottom if they can find one.

What jig is best for crappie?

How well can crappie see?

Just like people, they have both rods and cones in their eyes, so they are able to see contrasting whites and blacks in low light, but also recognize color when enough light is available.

How deep is crappie May?

“On High Rock Lake, spawning depth is usually 3 to 5 feet – depending on the water clarity. With dirty water, beds may be as shallow as 18 inches. In some very clear-water lakes, crappie may bed 8 to 10 feet deep – but that is not the norm.”