Best time of day for crappie fishing??? For this time of year AM PM?

[aquaholic]

I Really want to find them crappie and no luck, When I was catching them in fall I had other fisher man tell me that crappie are the best in spring yet I can't seem to find them, is it too early?? What time of day would be best, early morning or late night???

THanks

[kayak chris]

There is currently a thread in the Pan Fish section you should checkout. It should answer your questions.

[Marc Martyn]

I was once told by a guy that fished them every year that around Mother's Day is a good time. I believe that the water temperature has to rise into the 60 degree range and they will move into the shallows and then start to spawn. He would always fish Long Lake in Spokane about that time of the year.

[gpc]

You know, thats what everybody keeps telling me too. But I catch all my crappie durring the late spring - fall. (beg. June - mid. october). But from my experiences, the time of day dosnt matter its more finding the school. Shade and light is key for me as well. Durring the dog days of summer, fish in the shade of moored boats, or fish between the cracks in the dock. All you really need is a 4" gap where 2 docks meet to pull out decent size crappie. Then light, its a must at night. Work under the docks light or bring your own. If you dont like night fishing, just go down to the dock at night and make a mental note wich lights are the brightest. Fish those the next morning at the crack of dawn, the crappie will still be where the brightest lights were.

[Anglinarcher]

Marc is dead on, for spawing fish. This is when they are most easily patterened. 60 degrees, sunken rocks and or trees and brush, all this adds up to a great day.

Still, gpc is also dead on, once the large schools have broken up, it is simply a matter of finding the right conditions.

For example, Rock Lake in Whitman County. It is not known for Crappie, but it has some monsters in it. If you catch the temperatures just right, they can be found spawing. During the heat of the summer, they will suspend in the open water near the cliffs, usually about 15 to 20 feet deep.

I think the secret for Crappie is simply learning YOUR body of water.

[kevinb]

I Really want to find them crappie and no luck, When I was catching them in fall I had other fisher man tell me that crappie are the best in spring yet I can't seem to find them, is it too early?? What time of day would be best, early morning or late night???

THanks

maybe Slabking will jump in here. Tons of good info.

[racfish]

When I fish Lake Wa. I find the best time is early am and late in the day almost 1 hour before dark.I dont think its the time of day as much as it is a shade thing.