Postspawn Period

Water Temperature: Mid-70°F range

General Fish Mood: Neutral to negative

Depending on the body of water and local weather conditions, crappies may take a week or two to recuperate from the rigors of spawning. That doesn’t mean they aren’t hungry, but they aren’t inclined to chase. The energy deficit produced by spawning has to be addressed, and crappies will feed. But the spawning ordeal is difficult enough that many crappies don’t survive. Fungus-infested fish are common in some lakes during this period.

After leaving the nest, females filter across adjacent flats to the edge of deep water. Small groups of crappies may linger around shallow cover like brushpiles and weed clumps. In shallow lakes, those become key spots during this period of recuperation. In general, however, crappies move to the developing deep weedline or to the nearest drop-off into deeper water. It’s common to find them suspending 5 to 15 feet below the surface off the edge of the break, waiting for pods of small minnows or casually cropping off larger forms of zooplankton. It’s also common to find loose groups of crappies roaming the edges of channels, drop-offs, and developing weedlines, sometimes holding above deeper points.

Once the hatchlings leave the nest, males join the females in this roaming, casual feeding activity, as the Postspawn Period dovetails into the Presummer Period. At that point, the bite begins to heat up.