Jim
How can you tell if the crappie pull off a spawn in a 5 ac pond?
By pulling off a spawn I assume you mean evidence after spawning season. When recruitment strong you can sometimes see rather large school of crappie less than an inch long in open water near surface. With more typical situations you can find smaller groups concentrated in groups in shade of dock or near brush with lots of sticks. If neither structure present, then float something casting a shadow at least 3 feet in diameter in water 4 feet or more deep and check there in the morning.
I snorkel my ponds quite a bit but have trouble detecting crappie fry when visibility less than 2 feet. Nesting males are usually easy to see if water clear and water surface calm.
