Off-Season Spawning of Black Crappie in a North-Central Florida Lake

Abstract Black crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus less than 60 mm total length were observed in December in Orange Lake, Florida, during fishery investigations. Sagittal otoliths were examined for daily growth rings to estimate hatch date. Hatch date ranged from 9 to 29 October 2001; mean hatch date was 20 October, which is the first published occurrence of off-season spawning of black crappies. Fishery managers should be aware of potential seasonal spawning variability when estimating growth.