International crappie seminar speaker Guy Winters, from
Camdenton, Missouri is a crappie seminar speaker, promoter of crappie fishing videos, crappie fishing tackle and occasionally hosted annual Canadian crappie fishing trips. He helped establish Jadico, Inc. Laker Lures’ a major international fishing tackle manufacturing plant in Camdenton. However, catching crappie isn’t just business with Winters - its a way of life.
Winters strongly advocates that crappie’s seasonal movements are regulated by water temperature and water clarity. Weather determines the timing of the two latter events regardless of what calendar dates they fall on from year to year. Water 
temperature and clarity can vary in a given area month to month and year to year depending on seasonal weather patterns.
The following counsel is offered as if fishing in Missouri. However, irregardless of the geographical area, apply Winter’s counsel to the same water temps and clarity of a particular geographical location to adjust his following recommendations on monthly seasonal activity to different geographical areas fished.
With that in mind, here is crappie fishing guidance from the most knowledgeable crappie expert I’ve ever camped over a crappie bed with.
Winters on crappie:
December/January: Missouri’s average surface water temperature 36-degrees. You find Crappie suspended over 22 to 24-feet of water. They school 14 to 18-feet deep over break-lines 22 to 24-feet deep close to some form of structure - submerged brush, heated fishing docks, bridge abutments, etc.
February: Average surface water temperature 38-degrees. Fish start to move up to 12 to 14-foot water still holding close to original break-lines and some form of structure. January and February require vertical fishing. Cold water slows their metabolism drastically. Lure presentations must be slow and methodical four to six-inches above the fish. They cannot move very fast or very far to capture them.
March: Average surface temperature 40-degrees (3/1 to 3/15) and then to 44-degrees (3/16 to 3/31). Crappie move out of deep water into 15 to 18-foot depths suspending 10 to 12-feet over break-lines and some form of structure. They feed more actively with the advent of warmer water. The last week of March should see fish react to swimming a bait six to eight-inches above them loosening the vertical fishing requirements imposed by January and February’s cold water.
April: Average surface water temperature 44 to 56-degrees. As the sun rises higher in the sky, it penetrates water for longer periods each day steadily raising its temperature. In warming water, crappie move up to eight to 10-foot depths during April’s first two weeks and at six to eight-feet April ending. When the surface temperature reaches 52-degrees, crappie’s pre-spawn feeding binge starts.
May: Average surface water temperature is 56 to 70-degrees. The spawn is in full swing above the 56-degree mark. Black hued spawning male crappie guard the nest. Females hold approximately one to two feet deeper at a distance approximately five to 10-feet farther out while waiting to move in to the nests and lay their eggs. The nests’ depth depends on water clarity at the time of construction. Crappie spawn as deep as 20-feet in clear water and as shallow as six-inches in muddy water.
June: Average surface water temperature is 70 to 85-degrees. The spawn disburses around 72-degrees. Crappie then begin to move to
deeper water holding close to structure near break-lines. For 72-hours after completing the spawn, male fish rest. They selected and swept the nest sites, assisted females in laying the eggs, fertilized the eggs and guarded the nests and fry non-stop until eight to 10-days after hatching. By the time surface temperatures reach 85-degrees, crappie are in 10 to 12-feet of water.
July and August: Average surface water temperature is 85 to 90-degrees. Crappie migrate to 18 to 22-foot depths suspending over break-lines. They do not identify as heavily with structure now as during the winter months. January and February’s vertical presentations with slow moving baits are once again more effective. Summer’s lower saturated oxygen levels stress fish, regulating their activities to a slower pace.
September: Average surface water temperature is 90 to 78-degrees. As fall arrives, surface temperatures drop. Crappie start to move up out of deep water into 12 to 15-foot water holding on break-lines near some form of structure. Vertical jigging is still the most productive method now.
October/November: Average surface temperature is 78 to 48-degrees. In October, crappie initially move into eight to 12-foot depths, holding on structure. They are more active feeders now. With November’s 50-degree surface water temperatures, crappie should feed aggressively on bait fish around four to eight-feet. They now build body reserves for the cold winter months.
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Winters strongly advises using a surface water temperature gauge and a good fish locator when determining where fish are from one annual season to another. He states, “They make the difference between just fishing versus catching fish when following the seasonal patterns.”