Which Is The Bigger Feed Up.....debate Inside.

[Brian Needham]

pre or post spawn.

 

I believe the pre spawn is.  

My thoughts are they know they are not going to eat for a while and get fattened up for the process of making babies.

Why I think the post spawn is not: the fat girls are tired, scarred up, and lean. They have no energy, hence the reason we down size and slow post spawn. drop shot, shakey head, ect 

 

Now our good friend 00 Mod leans towards the POST spawn is the bigger feed. with the believe they are hungry cause they haven't eaten in a while and looking for a buffet for chow.

 

 

so we are leaving it up to the board to settle this debate.

who is right? Me? Him? Both? neither?

 

I find this to be an excellent topic for debate and good points on both sides........ what do YOU think?

[flyfisher]

Post spawn for me too.  They aren't as easy to find but when you do they are easier to catch in my experience.  

[slonezp]

I think it's easier to catch post spawn fish. Whether it's because they're putting on the feed bag, or just no longer distracted by love, I don't know

[Brian Needham]

interesting...

 

Does post spawn mean the same to everybody?

 

When I say post spawn I am talking that 1-2 week "recovery" period you always hear about........not summertime patterns.

 

I look forward to hearing more.

[Catt]

The question should be pre-spawn vs Fall

But of your 2, pre-spawn hands down, during this time frame the bass have one thing in mind...food!

Pre-spawn starts long before many anglers are aware.

Post spawn the are not interested in feeding at all!

[TBendBassin]

I have to agree with Catt pre spawn vs fall!! In east Texas it's hard to beat December January and February

[tomustang]

Either time they're all TOTAL ANIMALS

[Paul Roberts]

interesting...

 

Does post spawn mean the same to everybody?

 

When I say post spawn I am talking that 1-2 week "recovery" period you always hear about........not summertime patterns.

 

I look forward to hearing more.

That was my question too. How does one define it and how is it recognized? Esp PS when one is fishing only weekends, and "prespawn" in the far south? Also, one should split out gender as well, esp post-spawn –where males remain aggressive and very shallow for an extended period and females ease out of being spawn minded.

 

Anyway, to keep it simple... "pre-spawn" is a longer period (although I break it up) than post-spawn. And pre-spawn bass are esp vulnerable, esp up north where vulnerability to over-harvest is the historical (prior to widespread C&R) reason why bass seasons were closed at that time, and not opening until after the spawn.

 

As I see it, "post-spawn" is a progression when (female) bass are transitioning from sex hormones to feed mediating hormones. Immediate "post-spawn" females are generally pretty low in energy. By the time they are feeding really well I’m apt to call it pre-summer, by definition. Some fish are in pre-summer, others are still “post-spawn”. Many males are tending beds, fry, and/or simply still very aggressive. If you are targeting males in your post-spawn catches (I don’t) then I guess you could consider post to be offering especially good numbers fishing.

 

Now, these are from my observations on small waters where bass do not have to migrate any real distance between spawning and summer locations. My fish are relatively easy to find and transitions are less locational than activity level. Your results may vary , but my guess is that similar behaviors are happening for each individual fish everywhere, but pan out somewhat differently location-wise in larger waters.

 

Bottom line I guess is, in pre-spawn EVERYBODY is feeding, when and where conditions and circumstances allow. Post-spawn is dicier (does that qualify as a word?).

[Brian Needham]

Either time they're all TOTAL ANIMALS

 

well played sir, well played.

[00 mod]

OK, a little needs to be added to this, to fully understand the conversation we were having:

 

The question came up about the water temp at the last Road Trip.  I remembered it being high 60's, which would put it AFTER the first wave of spawn, and probably after the second major wave.  Needham remembered it being high 50"s and low 60's which would be early first wave.

 

Boats were averaging close to 50 fish per day and some over 100.  I made the statement, that is why I love post spawn, BECAUSE THEY ARE SO EASY TO CATCH. Which sprung this question.  Are they easier to catch pre or post spawn, NOT which is the bigger feed up.  I still say they are easier to catch post spawn.  I guess that is close to the same argument of bigger feed bag, but not really. 

 

 

Now to the point of bigger feed up pre or fall-  around here that is a no brainer.... FALL.  Right now as we speak, water temps in the high 60's again and the shad are gathered in the millions in the backs of coves in 0-8 FOW and i is a constant chow down.  So much that it is aggravating for so many anglers as to not being able to catch any because there is so much natural food.  You will hook a fish that will puke up numerous shad on the way and in your boat.  it is an absolute gorge.

 

 

By pre spawn, the shad kill has already happened, and yes I know they feed big pre as well, but it cannot simply be as much as the fall at least on the TVA lakes we fish the most.

 

Jeff

[SPEEDBEAD.]

LOL, Jeff weren't we having the same type of discussion yesterday?

[Brian Needham]

thanks for adding that Jeff as I didnt want to mis represent your stance or thoughts.

 

I think there are many varibles.

 

Road trip best I can remember first day was 59-60 up to 64 during the day. the last day was 62-63 up to 66-67 during the day, and both sets of temps varied from each end of the lake.

 maybe someone that keeps a good log will chime in

 

another thing I based my thinking on was tournment weights..... much bigger sacks prespawn than post. Again, post being the 2 weeks after not in summertime pattern. but I maybe crazy will a failed memory  

[MCS]

I think it's easier to catch post spawn fish. Whether it's because they're putting on the feed bag, or just no longer distracted by love, I don't know

 

x2 On this. It was deffinately my expereince here in FL,  much easier to pull numbers of bigger fish post spawn, though they were slender and probably not as big as they were pre.

[Dwight Hottle]

Catt nailed it as usual. I can attest from my experience on lake erie that prespawn smallies carry more weight than post spawn. It is a simple observation. Spring smallies are more fat in the spring because of egg development & chowing. If you have ever seen fully developed egg sacks removed form a female bass you would understand. Egg development combined with the need to add weight for the spawn means more feed up  during prespawn.

[A-Jay]

I'm going with Pre-spawn Feed up as my choice here.

 

I'm not certain when the Official pre-spawn begins or at what Exact point it starts but from ice out to the actual spawn the bass up here are plump and chewing.

 

A-Jay

[Dwight Hottle]

A 22" smallie weighs more in the spring prespawn than in the fall. And they are easier to catch by the average angler. We have massive schools of bait in the spring some years mostly emeralds & smelt. When there is too much bait in the system spring or fall it does make the catching more difficult.

[Brian Needham]

in talking with Jeff and seeing the responses here, I have narrowed it down to this:

 

1. perhaps it depends on how the debate is framed

a. big fish

b. numbers

c. numbers of big fish

 

2. are we saying when they feed more or easier to catch?

3. is it limited by region on the country.....got to go apples to apples in variables.

 

Dwight has large experience in fishing pre spawn, and I strongly lean in his direction. for  A, B, and C.

 

The hardest part in the framing is the timing......... pre spawn begins at 48-52 degrees and on the beds at 58-64 degrees..........but how do we know when post has begun, do we ask each fish we catch and hope they tell the truth?

Over a 50,000+ acre lake like Pickwick/TVA chain, or Kissimmee chain, or Great Lakes many of these periods overlap and vary from lake end to lake end, cove to cove.

 

I would like to see opinions on how to frame this and a set of working variables going forward so when the pre spawn ramps up this winter/spring we can track it and have our own study albeit somewhat unscientific.

 

Discuss........

[slonezp]

So is the question When is it easier to catch bass, or easier to catch a big bag? On my home water, it is much easier to catch numbers of fish shortly after the spawn. Bags are bigger, but numbers are down before the spawn. I know early Sturgeon Bay smallies fish differently than my home lake as do the TVA lakes, along with Bull, LOZ, and Table Rock. Maybe I should just move

[00 mod]

The original conversation was numbers of fish. Period. Hence I said post spawn.

Then all of the other variables came into play.

Jeff

[Brian Needham]

The original conversation was numbers of fish. Period. Hence I said post spawn.

Jeff

 

was it?   I thought we went in circles for 15 minutes then got to the point........or maybe it was me going in circles

[Shane Procell]

My opinion is regionally based, and probably does not apply to bass fishing in general. My region is the Southern Glades (south of lake Okeechobee). The post spawn in my region is hands down the best time to get numbers and size. Besides the fact that everything with a mouth is on a hard feed.....the everglades water is dropping out fast. When the water drops, the fish and bait become concentrated in the canals and flats. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.

[slonezp]

The original conversation was numbers of fish. Period. Hence I said post spawn.

Then all of the other variables came into play.

Jeff

I'm on your side

[Catt]

Question #1: all of the above, which describes pre-spawn.

Question #2: feed more & easier to catch, which describes pre-spawn.

Question #3: not limited to region, just takes place at different times.

Question #4: temperature is but one part of the equation & takes place sooner that most anglers believe.

[PABASS]

From my experience I would say pre-spawn as well, the fish for me are easier to catch and its when I catch my biggest fish.  Mater-o-fact I will only visit certain locations during pre-spawn because any other time is just a waste because the fish are harder to catch.  The one location is a larger pond that only allows fishing from one side, jerkbaits in the late winter and early spring bags me the biggest fish in the pond.  In the summer you cant get to them and in the fall they don't seem as aggressive.  Its funny this is brought up because I have thought about this and wondered is it the fish or the fisherman?  What I mean by that is around here I don't see many guys fishing ponds in late winter, so the bass had time to relax so to speak the fisherman's pressure is less, so are they easier to catch because of this?  To me it might be both but more on the side of the fish are just much more aggressive.

[Raul]

I don´t care about when they are more or less hungry, the difference in weight of a good sized momma in the 9  to 10 lbs can be one or more pounds of roe, so pre spawn you may catch a double digit while post spawn she may not be a double digit cuz all that roe is now baby bass.