Do male crappie actually defend their nests?
Yes — the male builds the nest, and after spawning he alone guards the eggs and then the fry, chasing off minnows, sunfish, and anything else that drifts in, for roughly one to two weeks total. The defense is real but radius-limited: he attacks what enters a zone about a meter (3 ft) across, which is exactly why a jig hung in front of a guarding male gets struck by a fish that is not feeding at all. The territoriality is also strictly seasonal — the moment the fry disperse, he abandons the site and rejoins the schools, and crappie hold no territory for the rest of the year.
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