Crappie Report: Waiting on Stability

It’s been a minute since the last blog, but honestly, there hasn’t been much to say—Carlyle’s in a weird phase right now.

The water level has dropped drastically. Fish are still holding deep, and the few females we’re catching with eggs? Still fresh—no blood, no sign of them being ready to burst. That tells me they’ve hit the brakes on spawning.

Based on what I’ve seen over the years, I think the crappie started to spawn like normal this spring—but then we got smacked with heavy rains. The dam got opened wide, the water dumped, and the beds got wiped out. That sudden shift likely pushed a bunch of fish back to deeper water.

Now, the remaining spawners seem to be waiting it out. They’re holding onto healthy eggs and sitting in cooler, deeper pockets, likely waiting for conditions to stabilize before trying again.

This isn’t new. I’ve watched this pattern play out at Carlyle year after year. At this point, I’m ready to chalk this lake up as a summer spawn fishery. We get a ton of June spawns here, and every time it’s the same story—water rises, falls, ruins the beds, and the fish push out deep until they’re ready to roll again.

I’m not giving away spots when I say there’s plenty of crappie hanging out in deeper water. Drop on one, and half the time a second fish rockets off the bottom to beat it to the bait. My guess? They’re hunkered down in the mud trying to stay cool, and they’re hungry—but hesitant.

If the weather holds and the water stops swinging, I’d bet they’re going to lose their minds in the next two weeks. When it hits, it’s going to hit fast.

Stay ready.