- 1). Look for eggs or newly hatched fish nearby. If the crappie is guarding a nest, this is a male. The females lay the eggs and then quickly leave the area.
- 2). Check the color of the belly and fins prior to and during spawning, suggests biologist Mike Colvin during an interview with "Game & Fish" magazine. On a male crappie, these areas will change to a black color. The coloration of the female will not change.
- 3). Look for a swollen belly prior to spawning season. Mature females can carry more than 100,000 eggs.
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