Explanation from the crappie experts...

[megalomaniac]

My friend and I went fishing a 20ac private club lake Saturday morning.... 48 degrees, water temp was 70 degrees.

This lake does not have steep dropoffs, just a gradual drop down to the dam which is 13 ft.

There is structure off a point in 7 to 8 ft of water, and we have caught crappie there previously.

I was expecting the fish to move to the end of the submerged point where it drops to 9 to 10 ft (again, gradual drop, no old creek channels), but we actually found the most fish in 6ft of water hugging the bottom... and very few on actual structure.

I'm not complaining, we came home with 26 nice sized fish, and the other 2 boats on the lake around us didn't catch anything (we were fishing with live minnows, and they were trolling jigs and crankbaits that weren't getting deep enough)... but I can't for the life of me figure out why they were up more shallow with the abrupt cold front... perhaps were enjoying the cooler water temps? But why were they on bottom then?

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[Smo]

Sometimes things happen differently on small lakes/ ponds vs the river impoundments.

Or so I've noticed over the years. Crappie can be a finicky fish ... Nice catch ! Congrats

 

[bluball]

Lots of things are hard to expalin,i have caught them in 4fow in 40deg water temp on kylake,you just never know.

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[megalomaniac]

I've always found crappie to be more predictable than bass throughout the year, and I've always found crappie to be willing to bite throughout the year, even in subfreezing temps, or 100 degree temps if you find the fish and put a bait in front of them. Because of that, I always have a gameplan in mind where to start looking for fish, and adjust from there....

These fish weren't on the structure and depth they were 2 weeks ago, so I started hunting... I wouldnt have been surprised to find them schooled up suspended in the water column, but just couldn't believe they would have moved more shallow, but stuck to the bottom... they weren't even showing up on my fish finder they were so close to the bottom. (granted, its a cheap portable model). I always try to figure out WHY they did what they did. There is always a reason for fish behavior.... I just can't figure this one out.

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[NumberOne]

A cold front in the fall isnt the same as a cold front in the spring. A cold front in the fall when the water temps are warmer probably lets them know its time to feed up.

 

[megalomaniac]

Makes sense, but why were they hugging the bottom off structure?

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[WTM]

like Numberone said, they are moving in to feed. fish detect slight changes in water temps and gradual chsnges triggers a feeding frenzy.

now to answer your other question with question. did you open up their craw to see what they were feeding on? my guess they keyed in on a food source like worms, midges, crawfish, etc. yes, white crappie eat those things but not as much as blacks.

ive caught crappie and bluegill in january in 40-45 degree water with mud on their bellies. at that particular time they were feeding on bloodworms(midge larvae) in wide open mud flats.

 

[megalomaniac]

WTM, now that's an explanation that adds up!... their stomachs were fairly empty when I fileted them, but I didn't specifically study what contents were in them. It makes sense if they moved to more shallow water to feed, but were feeding on bottom critters.

I've only fished this lake 3 times, and I doubt there is a population of shiners or other minnows to feed on, just probably bass, bream, and crappie fry...

Strangely enough, one male was in nearly full spawning colors.



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[WTM]

all fish will get darker the shallower they get whether intentional or unintentional but it costs them quite a bit of energy.

ive caught fish in fall and winter in deeper water and theyd be almost white. throw them in a livewell and theyll turn to their dark colors in 30 minutes or so.

 

[Crow Terminator]

Fish are different creatures. Anybody have an aquarium? My wife has a few different ones with Beta fish in them. In a controlled climate, those fish will do a hundred different things a day. Sometimes on bottom, sometimes up top, and sometimes all over the place. The one thing that caught me off guard watching them that I had never ever thought about....they sleep. Each one has their own little space they go to and literally sleep. I just never gave thought to a fish sleeping but I see it all the time. I bet the freshwater species have some form of it too. That's probably when I am out trying to catch em...they are all piled up somewhere sleeping. Lol

 

[fishboy1]

One possibility.
They may have been up shallow where the sun warmed the mudflat faster than the surrounding water. Often fish will leave the deeper water for a shallow mud flat on cold sunny days. The water on the flat often will warm up to a few degrees higher than the deep water.

 

[WTM]

One possibility.
They may have been up shallow where the sun warmed the mudflat faster than the surrounding water. Often fish will leave the deeper water for a shallow mud flat on cold sunny days. The water on the flat often will warm up to a few degrees higher than the deep water.

thats a pattern i use in late winter/early spring. the chunk rock and gravel on the north banks usually draw bait and fish first. rock walls along the main channel with a shallow shelf are hotspots as well.

 

[megalomaniac]

That is often true with sun in shallow waters, I use that trick for specks in the marsh during winter.... but these fish were up shallow before the sun ever came up that morn.

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[WTM]

they will feed extensively from dusk till dawn and shallower. when the sun comes up theyll usually move back out to deeper cover/structure unless there is a reason for them to be there. imo, white crappie and yellow bass seem to be more day light sensitive.l for whatever reason.