Night crappie, Cold

Nice story about getting into crappies. And for sure CM has provided ample information which has been great even for those who regularly fish for crappie...always good to hear and be reminded of things or get some new ideas that can be be tried when what you are doing is not catching.

For the next 5 to 6 days on the east side of balsam, conditions will be perfect. From the south bay all the way to the north end will be the best pike and crappie fishing in years. You can't get any better than this, a few constant days in a row with south and south east wind with sunshine and not cold at night. The fish should be stacked up and hungry. Spring is usually so unpredictable, this is a treat of weather. I can't get out until next week, next Tuesday I hope. I would appreciate it if anyone gets out there to let me know if I was right. I sure think there should be some nice fish to take home and great pictures to see. Good luck and stay safe.

Nice slabs, CM and PJ! Well done!
Great helpful info as always! Appreciate your insight!

Thank you JB. Big family BBQ of crappie that are in the freezer. After that I can get out and catch some more and a few walleye next week.

Thanks CM,
my new crappie addiction is going pretty well.

Yesterday I tried them again. Went to the same spot I was getting them few weeks ago, but didn't find anything. Much more weeds and some light bites but no crappie.
So I needed to find them somewhere else.

I started by doing same strategy as last time - slow drifting over the areas that look good.
I caught one. Stopped there, but couldn't find another one.
I continued drifting, caught another one, stopped again - and again nothing.
Ok, I continued drifting and caught a third one and again same results when I stopped.
So, ok I decided to do drifting all the time and that was working pretty good.

Caught lots of fish, kept about 20. No really big fish this time, but lot in 10-11" range.

Had to stop fishing before the storm with maybe 6 keepers in the livevell. I thought they got scared but good bite continued after the storm and I think it was even better.

Area that I was drifting over was pretty big, maybe 300-400 meters, but I was finding them in that whole area.

Also I noticed that some of the fish were darker, so far as I can figure out, those are males and it is spawning season, correct?
But I didn't catch any fat females with lot of eggs though.

Are they spawning now? Should I have stopped fishing and let them do their thing?
Is it usual to find them spread in such relatively large area?

Anyway, it looks I wont be able to go out in next few weeks and my musky season is approaching, so I think I will leave them alone for a while.

Again, thank everyone for posting useful fishing info on this forum. Sharing is indeed caring.

Peja

This post has been edited by pjfishing on May 22, 2022 - 02:16 pm

Yup they are spawning and guarding nests now, depending on water temperature. Some crappie are finished and some have not even started yet. I don't target crappie when they look like they are spawning. But have caught some many times like that. It's not going to do any damage to keep some when they are spawning. You did it right, just keep some and move on like you did. There is millions of crappie in the kawarthas. If people fish in moderation and use common sense in all fishing, it will be stable for the years to come. For example: When I was up there a few days ago, I caught so many walleye and a few crappie that I stopped using my crank baits and switched to a bobber and 1/4 ounce jig head. I cut the barb off so I would not harm the smaller walleye. If I lost a few who cares there was so many it didn't matter. You got some nice crappie there. That was a great day of crappie fishing for you. Nice to see your concern for the fish as well. Can"t believe you were out on the water in that storm. I always fished in storms but the family made me stop, because it is dangerous. Now I fish until I hear thunder then stop until after storm is gone.

Oh, I didn't fish during the storm. I was watching radar, went back to marina where I launched right before the storm and came back when it was gone.

Yeah, it is very dangerous to fish during the storm and I don't do that (although I am tempted sometimes )

Are the males guarding the nest? Oh, my bad, I should have not kept them. Next time I will keep that in mind. This whole 'crappie business' is a bit new to me

I agree with you, education is the key in keeping sustainable fish population, doesn't matter what is the fish in question.

In Muskies Canada they put a lot of effort on educating people about various aspects of muskie fishing, and that for sure attributes in ensuring there will be muskies for future generation anglers as well.

Nothing wrong with fishing spawning crappie. You never know what time they are busy doing their thing. Just continue doing what your doing. Now you have found a few spots you can go back to year after year and keep what you need and have a great time spring crappie fishing. I have done the same thing for decades. If I catch the odd one that is really black in the face, I just move on down the way and continue fishing. Keep up the good work. Speaking of work....leaving for work right now. Stay safe and good luck.