In Kansas, shad and crappies often remain in confined areas for days. Occasionally, schools move several miles in a day or two, sometimes merging with other large schools to form a megaschool. In Michigan, where conditions are harsher, it’s unusual for crappies to move several miles in any direction in a day or two at any point during winter—but they do move. A “migration” of 500 yards or so, however, is more likely in colder climates.

During the coldest spells of winter in Kansas, most can be found gathered in tight groups along river or creek channels. But whenever the water temperature is above 38°F, a substantial aggregation of crappie and shad will likely meander slowly across mudflats that stretch hundreds of yards from the edge of the channel. Schools on the flats in winter tend to be smaller than those along creek channels. An isolated brushpile on a flat in 14 to 17 feet of water can hold a wandering school of crappies for extended periods of time. As long as the water temperature remains below 42°F, the winter scenario just described remains intact. But as it climbs to 45°F, schools of shad and crappies begin to disperse, spelling the end of the winter bonanza. This usually takes place about 10 days to 2 weeks prior to the March equinox.

In Michigan, water temperatures on the surface often read about 40°F the first day a boat can get out after the ice breaks up. By then, crappies have already begun to disperse—often earlier than they might in Kansas. When the ice leaves in late March or early April, some crappies can already be found lingering in shallow coves where the water warms fastest. (Northern fish of many species react earlier to the approach of spring, in terms of water temperatures, than southern fish.)

Transition to Spring: As March and early April days pass in Kansas, schools of shad and crappies diminish in size. Eventually, countless single crappies and random bunches of five or six fish wander after small, loosely knit schools of shad as both species begin a slow journey to spawning sites. During the 50 to 65 days required for crappies to shift from winter feeding grounds to breeding grounds, inclement weather often erupts. Spiteful north winds usher in one cold front after another. A bit of snow flies now and then. Temperatures become frosty enough to ice rod-tips. Cold fronts may barrel across the Kansas prairie every five to six days, usually turning crappies sullen and making them reluctant to feed.

Most crappies and shad suspend across the mudflats and creek channels, ignoring structure like humps, drop-offs, and channel edges. Sonar shows countless black specks, and flashers display orange blips that should be interpreted as single crappies and small balls of shad suspended from 4 to 25 feet.

As this transition period from the end of winter to the beginning of spring unfolds, crappies and shad spread lakewide again. No longer do we find stretches of barren water. During this 50- to 65-day spell, crappies exceeding 12 inches become scarce, and the whereabouts of big crappies has most anglers puzzled. When asked about it, one veteran of many frustrating March fishing trips in Kansas reckoned that big crappies scatter so widely over thousands of square acres of water that finding them becomes an impossible task. In fact, crappie fishing in general becomes a pretty tough chore. Consider this common scenario: On any given afternoon in late April, a group of 10- to 12-inch crappies might be found in a foot of 50°F water along a rocky shoreline inside a cove. A small, inconspicuous spot like that might be the only shoreline holding catchable crappies in the entire lake. The next afternoon, that shoreline could become like every other bank in the lake—devoid of crappies, with no discernable reason anglers can deduce for the crappies to move.

In Michigan, larger crappies may mix with smaller ones in those same kinds of shallow venues, usually relating to shoreline cover like brush, reeds, bulrushes, and fallen trees in shallow, dark-bottomed coves. When these coves are fairly large, it’s possible that crappies may use the entire cove, if sufficient shoreline cover is available. Crappies can become concentrated in small areas when the wind blows in one direction for several days, warming the area where the wind is cracking directly into shore a few degrees more than all surrounding areas. As with bays in natural lakes, wind-driven current patterns can determine your final step when tracking spring crappies in water temperatures ranging within the low 40°F to high 50°F range.