I wanted to clear up a misconception about the spring crappie bite.
Its my understanding that the spring ice out crappie bite is just migration to warmer water to find food and not to spawn. From what I’ve read, crappies spawn in May and June.
Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.
I am seeing the spring bite referred to as “Prespawn”, though technically it is before spawn, is incorrect.
The only reason that I rant is because I have nothing better to do right now than stir the pot 
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Prespawn means before spawn, since they have not spawned this year yet, your not completely correct. 
As for spawning in May and June, it really depends on location. Texas crappies are spawning now
Is the kitchen big enough for two pot stirrers 
Technicalities…
For what it is worth: The only body of water that I really found a “migration” was Pewaukee (WI). Last ice they would be in the north east part of the lake. Soon after ice out they would move along the shore line to the south and then west. By late May early June they would spawn a good distance from where they started. Maybe the fellow from Men. Falls can chime in here. It has been some time since I fished there. Fishing the Miss. I have no idea how the migration happens. If some one has the answer to that one, I would interested in that.
I, too, have had nothing much better to do lately, and have been reading up on crappie behavior… I believe you are right — the crappies generally just seek warmer bays / food right after ice out, and might be located shallow or suspended just off of the shallow bay or structure. Theoretically, I don’t think they generally spawn until the water temps get into the 60’s to even 70 degree range, and this won’t happen for a while on many northern lakes… Probably just depends on your definition of pre-spawn… I suppose you could technically consider a fish “pre-spawn” anytime from post-spawn until the next year’s spawn…. But if you use In-Fisherman’s calandar periods to define “pre-spawn”, they define it using more specific water temps and such… Generally (according to the In-Fisherman info), crappies just after ice out are still in the cold water period. Pre-spawn doesn’t hit until the water warms up, maybe more around May in the north.
(In-Fisherman’s definitions, not mine… I’m sure many lakes vary as far as how fast they warm up and when crappies spawn…)
i schedule my spring around 4 stages
ice out crappie – fish are either where they were in late ice or are making their way to warmer water and food
pre spawn crappie – this is when the males are preparing the beds and the females are holding in deeper water just off the beds
spawn crappie – duh 62-66 degrees water temp…lasts a few days.
post spawn – they stack up males and females near beds and gorge…
Lets throw another wrench in the works. Some studies have shown that water temp and crappie spawn does not allways coincide. Length of day can be a decideing factor when spring time is cooler. They have found crappies will go ahead and spawn even when water temps are low. Some bioligist studies have shown length of day is the final deciding factor as to when the spawn accures.
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Lets throw another wrench in the works. Some studies have shown that water temp and crappie spawn does not allways coincide. Length of day can be a decideing factor when spring time is cooler. They have found crappies will go ahead and spawn even when water temps are low. Some bioligist studies have shown length of day is the final deciding factor as to when the spawn accures.
Now consider as well that not all crappies spawn at the same time. Some of the best crappies may spawn in cooler water and even deeper water than the main-stream crowd of fish.
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