Is the spawn in this pond over?

[Crow Horse]

I routinely fish a small pond in upstate NY that has produced some very big bass. I was on the water yesterday and the water temps were 67° to 70°. I'm guessing that this is a post spawn situation. Fished for nearly 7  1/2 hours, caught and released 6 or 7 3# bass and dropped several others. Would I be correct in saying that the majority of the spawn is over?

[TnRiver46]

I’m sure you are familiar with what happens when you assume things......

[Crow Horse]

42 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’m sure you are familiar with what happens when you assume things......

Hence my question.....

[fishballer06]

Very doubtful. You've probably got some fish that are post spawn, and most that are just now spawning. I know here on my home waters here in PA, last weekend our water was 58*, this weekend it was around 62-66* and the males were just moving up to the banks but the females weren't present yet. Now the past three days the high temperatures have been between 83-92*, so I wouldn't be surprised if the surface temperatures are in the 70*+ range. The fish will be spawning/guarding beds over the next few weeks. The warm weather is going to keep driving the water temperatures up quickly. 

[CrankFate]

On 5/28/2020 at 6:44 AM, TnRiver46 said:

I’m sure you are familiar with what happens when you assume things......

The more I know, the more I find myself making the wrong assumptions.

[Crow Horse]

Thanks. I did see bluegills on beds. I thought I read somewhere that they are the last to spawn, but this is an area that I don't know squat about. The water was a bit murky so it was difficult to observe really well. I'll see what has changed next week when I get back on the water.....

 

For what it's worth, this pond is a small (14 acres) and very shallow. average depth is 3-4 feet with some areas dropping to 7 feet.

[WRB]

I would guess the major spawn cycles are ending transitioning to post spawn based on bluegill spawning. There usually is a overlap with later gators but success is low do to the bluegill continuing to raid the bass nest. 

Look for schools od baby bass guarded by a smaller male, the spawn is still ongoing. If you see the baby bass and no male around or the baby bass look like miniature bass the spawn is over in your pond.

Tom

[papajoe222]

I would say the spawn is likely over and the 3lb. bass you caught were males protecting the nest.  Small ponds go through the cycle earlier and faster than larger bodies of water and, although there may be a few 'late to the dance' spawners, the majority will spawn at the time. 

[Crow Horse]

Thanks guys for confirming my suspicion.....