What temperature do crappie spawn at — and is it one event?
The spawn runs at 14–20 °C (57–68 °F), with the heaviest bedding usually around 16–18 °C (61–64 °F) — notably cooler and therefore earlier than largemouth. And no, it is not one event: crappie spawn in waves. Different schools, different sides of the lake, and re-nesting after cold snaps spread the activity across weeks, with females also releasing eggs in batches. Practically, that means missing "the" spawn is nearly impossible — when one bay looks done, a colder bay is often just starting.
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More questions about Spawning
Same topic, other species
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- When and where do perch spawn? — Yellow Perch
- Why do pike spawn in flooded marshes at ice-out? — Northern Pike
- Do smallmouth and largemouth hybridize in the wild? — Smallmouth Bass
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- When and where do walleye spawn? — Walleye