Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

[Big Al1]

Just wanted to see when the crappie spawn in everybody else’s area. Here in middle Georgia the spawn has been in full effect for about 3 weeks now. 3 or 4 weeks ago all of the crappie were bulging at the stomachs. 1 week ago I saw only a few with big stomachs. I usually throw back the larger crappie so they can lay the eggs and keep the smaller ones for deep frying, small ones taste better too. <br /><br />Also, you could really smell the beds on this one lake I fish on. Anybody else out there like smelling for the beds? Are these bream beds I am smelling? Like a really raunchy sweet fishy smell. I don’t know if you can tell the difference between crappie, bream or bass beds.

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

the past 3 weekends it either rained or rained just before the weekend, so i didn't go. my parents have been going lately, up on chickamauga lake, and my mother caught/released a big 14" crappie. they ate a few smaller ones too <br /><br />it's time to be smelling the beds, in the shallows, you can see the oily stuff on the surface near the bream beds... i can't tell what the fish are by the smell either.

 

[WisconsinNugs]

Re: Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

still waiting for the ice to come off probablyanother month for spawn

 

[Skintback]

Re: Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

The water temp her is still in the low 40's. But have been catching some slabs in fairly shallow water, full of eggs and ready to pop. The usually spawn in the low 50's here.

 

[Skinnywater]

Re: Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

I accidently caught a half dozen of them on bed last weekend. I was fishing for Bass and the Specks were hitting my gitzit pretty hard.

 

[Fishbusters]

Re: Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

Have not been out recently too much rain when I can go and sun when I can't. I do know you can smell spawning/bedding fish and usually they are panfish like bream. Bass and crappie don't usually congregate when they spawn like bream do and their beds are usually more spread out over an area which makes the smell harder to detect. You can't always know what species is spawning in a certain area because spawning carp and gar also have a smell but usually when you get a whiff of that scent it's bream.

 

[Barlow]

Re: Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

Crappies aren't close to spawning here yet but, I was out on Monday eave/night on the Wisconsin River and got into a school before the cold front hit. Was jigging for Walleye and Sauger and ended up with Crappie(I couldn't believe it!). Caught around twenty 8-13 inch fish in about an hour using a 1/4oz. jig & 3" power grub. No Walleyes or Sauger. Go figure.

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

Barlow, what part of the river were you fishing? We've got ice on the bays here yet. I'm @ Lake Wisconsin north of Madison. All I smell around here is thawing manure!!

 

[FrozenFish]

Re: Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

Got another couple of weeks befor the crappie spawn over here, walleye spawn is just now ending.

 

[Barlow]

Re: Crappie spawned yet in your areas? Smell 'em?

CalicoKid- below Sauk Dam is where we were...south of VFW launch around the bridge. I'm going to be in the Madison area, Cottage Grove, for a little while due to work. Been here 3 weeks now and have been fortunate enough to get out fishing between work and dealing with a pregnant dog(had pups friday at midnight - 5am. Saturday) Yeah, thawing manure seems to be the 'scent of the season' lately!