Mother Nature dictates when sunfish and crappies migrate. Sunfish are the first to go. As water temperatures rise into the upper 40's and lower 50's the shallow water invasion is triggered. Their 5 to 12 foot staging range will shift to somewhere between 6 feet and 6 inches. The warmer the shallower.
Crappies make their move shortly after.
They'll mix with sunfish in the 6 foot to 6 inch range once surface water temperatures reach the mid to upper 50's. Contrary to popular belief, the first wave of panfish to hit shallow water do not arrive for breeding purposes. Crappies either leave and come back later to spawn or they'll linger around for a few weeks until conditions are conducive to repopulating. Sunfish spawn much later, and they typically retreat to harder bottom zones to breed. There are several criteria to look for when selecting a shallow water venue to pursue early spring sunfish and crappies.