Smallmouth Spawn - Had To Share

[NathanW]

I have read about main lake spawners spawning later than backwater fish but had never seen it first hand at any sort of mentionable extreme.

 

That had changed over the weekend and I was rather blown away.

 

The first smallmouth spawner I caught off a bed this year was April 3rd in the very far back of the warmest backwater slough in the lake. I had never found a fish spawning this early, I think this was a unique situation, but regardless it happened. Since then the spawn, in all of my primary locations had come and gone. Or so I had though.

 

On Saturday, heading back to the boat launch from a good largemouth hole I noticed that the small marina, which is a main river marina located in a small pocket, had major bedding activity. I marked (triangulated) three beds with  fish on them before I loaded the boat. Next morning, before heading to the same largemouth hole I nailed 2/3 bedding fish confirming my only curiosity that they were indeed smallmouth that spooked off those beds.

 

This is a variation of over ten weeks on the same body of water!!

[Dwight Hottle]

Cool observation. How deep were the main lake beds?

[NathanW]

Roughly 3' at the shallowest. The deepest one I could see was around 6'.

[Chris9999]

Nice!I knew they didnt all spawn at the same time, I just didnt know there could be this much time in between them.

[Crestliner2008]

I've always suspected that the smallmouth bass has the longest span of time, for the spawning ritual, than most other species. I've seen them on beds the latest being July 12 in this neck of the woods. The beds were deep - 12' - 15' and located on pebble type gravel on the edge of drop offs to deeper water.

 

I believe many fishermen who catch smallies in the 12' - 20' depths drop shotting, are actually catching bedding bass.