Crappie Fishing Seasons

Incredibly, there are areas of the United States where you can find excellent crappie fishing year round and other areas where, if you are adventurous enough to participate in ice fishing, you can find some of the largest crappie available. However, it is best to define crappie fishing season for various areas of the nation before venturing out to the lakes for an uneventful excursion.

In most places, the "official" start of crappie fishing season is March 1st. However, because there are locations across the nation where large crappie can be found at Christmas or in the middle of summer, many avid fishermen will go out for a catch at any time of year. The reason that crappie fishing season is considered to begin in March is that crappie begin to spawn at this time of year. Therefore, the high point of the year to find great quantities of large slabs is from the beginning of March to the end of April. The pre-spawn cycle where crappie are traveling to shallower waters for the laying of eggs begins in March, and the spawning takes place in mid-April, and this cycle provides the greatest access to schools of crappie where you'll find two pound specimens to be plentiful. In other words, when the waters begin to warm, crappie fishing season begins with the laying and fertilization of eggs.

However, because the spawning cycle and the production of crappie has become a bit of a scientific phenomenon, allowing for the finding of large fish throughout the year in many of the lakes across the nation that don't freeze in the winter, the official crappie fishing season has basically be extended or unofficially removed in most areas. Having special tools allows for greater success in these off peak times, including depth finders and drills for ice fishing in colder areas. Having strong poles and tough fishing line allows you to troll at greater depths for larger fish and to pull your lures through heavy areas of brush and cover in which crappie like to hide.

Crappie fishing season is best when waters are at temperatures of 65 degrees or above. Waters in the south stay close to this level year round, with several lakes never dropping below 50 degrees, meaning that fish are still fairly active. It's best to search in deeper waters if you are looking for crappie outside of the "official" crappie season, especially if you venture out in February during pre-spawning, as this is where the water will stay the warmest and crappie will be most content. However, during the height of the crappie fishing season, you should fish off the banks and piers or in the shallows because the crappie will prefer to take cover here while spawning.