Maximizing your prespawn time on water......learning from mine and maybe other's mistakes

[Troy85]

3 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

I've been fishing the tidal marshes around the Sabine river where the Elite series is held.

 

This is probably the most difficult fishing there is. We deal with all the issues associated with pre-spawn, then throw in a tide & some salt.

 

Jason Christie won by running as far north as he could to get away from it!

Oh yeah.  Same here.  Then you throw in hurricanes with their surges that kill off all the grass a lot of the bass.  It makes for some interesting bass fishing that's for sure.  If we can make it thru this summer without a hurricane, next year will be lights out again.

[casts_by_fly]

10 hours ago, king fisher said:

A way that may help determine if the amount of light in a day determines the time of spawn, or if temperature has more of an influence, is to compare locations in the US that are the same latitude, which would have an equal amount of light, but are located in areas with significantly warmer or colder water temperatures.  If the amount of light is the determining factor, than the spawn should happen near the same time, at all  places that are located within a certain latitude.

      Some places it, would be obvious that the spawn would not take place at the same time.  Bass in North Eastern WA could be spawning , long before bass in Minnesota at the same latitude would be, simply because the Minnesota bass would still be swimming under many inches of ice while the bass in WA were done spawning.

     Examples would have to be investigated, that are different in weather, but the differences are not as extreme as the WA MN. example.

      I would suspect that a logical conclusion would be both temperature and the amount of sunlight play a significant role in spawn timing.    

 

 

In another thread, TOXIC posted about Lake Anna in VA.  Anna has a hot side and a cold side due to releases of powerplant water.  It was 60's at the start of March.  Other lakes in the area will be 40-45 at that point in time.  So same sunlight but 20+ degrees different.  I think that would make a fascinating case study.  Not only is the water much! warmer than surrounding bodies of water but the warming rate will be much slower in the 'spawning' time of year.  Toxic alludes to it that the spawn happens earlier and lasts longer, but I'd love to see an actual study on it.  I think its a combination of a minimum time for eggs to develop, a minimum temperature threshold, and a minimum light level (daylight hours per day) for the place you're in.  If the water here in NJ was suddenly 65 degrees (sudden discharge of water from a power plant that sprung up overnight for example) I don't think the bass would be spawning tomorrow.  They would be earlier than normal (early to mid may) but not immediate.  If the water stayed that temp year round (or held a minimum 60F year round), I think in a couple years the bass would be spawning in march.

 

 

 

[Deleted account]

16 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

 

In another thread, TOXIC posted about Lake Anna in VA.  Anna has a hot side and a cold side due to releases of powerplant water.  It was 60's at the start of March.  Other lakes in the area will be 40-45 at that point in time.  So same sunlight but 20+ degrees different.  I think that would make a fascinating case study.  Not only is the water much! warmer than surrounding bodies of water but the warming rate will be much slower in the 'spawning' time of year.  Toxic alludes to it that the spawn happens earlier and lasts longer, but I'd love to see an actual study on it.  I think its a combination of a minimum time for eggs to develop, a minimum temperature threshold, and a minimum light level (daylight hours per day) for the place you're in.  If the water here in NJ was suddenly 65 degrees (sudden discharge of water from a power plant that sprung up overnight for example) I don't think the bass would be spawning tomorrow.  They would be earlier than normal (early to mid may) but not immediate.  If the water stayed that temp year round (or held a minimum 60F year round), I think in a couple years the bass would be spawning in march.

 

 

 

 

There is actually a lot of research on the effects of various conditions and stimuli on the development of eggs in fish. In short, yes, if bass were in say high 30s to low 40s degree water, and you raised the temperature quickly to mid 60s or so, not only would they not begin to spawn, they couldn't. 

[casts_by_fly]

18 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

 

There is actually a lot of research on the effects of various conditions and stimuli on the development of eggs in fish. In short, yes, if bass were in say high 30s to low 40s degree water, and you raised the temperature quickly to mid 60s or so, not only would they not begin to spawn, they couldn't. 

 

 

That was my thinking.  Like most things in nature there is some trigger that starts each development cycle.  Often it is temperature since temperature regulates chemistry and chemistry regulates biology.  Light and day length is usually the other (especially with plants).  In this case, I suspect the eggs need a certain minimum temperature to 'ripen' and be ready but also need a certain duration above that minimum temp.  What those temps and times are I don't know (I'd love to read the research) but those combined with the light levels for a place seem to average all out to a month long window for a given place for the spawn to fluctuate in on average.  I know up here the first week of May the fish are close but you're going to struggle to find active beds by cruising the shallows (can't speak to deeper).  At the end of May there are still fish on beds if you look, but most are gone.  By mid june the fish have all lost the 'skinny belly look' of a post spawn fish.  Between the start and end of May though I'm sure there are fish in all phases through the month (and it varies by lake too).

[DitchPanda]

20 hours ago, Tom Orr said:

It's been a relatively mild winter here, but cooler than normal spring so far. Was hoping to get out for the first time about April 1st, but looking at the two week forecast I don't know. Most years that's about when I get out for the first time of the year.

It hasn't been as mild on this side of the state. We've had consistent cold temps...some brutal cold and more snow than I've seen in years.

[BigAngus752]

On 3/18/2023 at 5:57 AM, Catt said:

I've preached for years, pre-spawn starts long before most anglers believe.

 

Agree.  And the "fall bite" doesn't start until every other bass fisherman I know has put their boat away.

[softwateronly]

20 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said:

Agree.  And the "fall bite" doesn't start until every other bass fisherman I know has put their boat away.

That’s the truth for me. Fall is brutal until the water gets cold. Mid October till late November is magical. Last one off the lake and first one on is my yearly goal. 
 

scott

[TnRiver46]

36 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said:

Agree.  And the "fall bite" doesn't start until every other bass fisherman I know has put their boat away.

What is this “put a boat away” you speak of………??

 

[Tom Orr]

3 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

It hasn't been as mild on this side of the state. We've had consistent cold temps...some brutal cold and more snow than I've seen in years.

That sounds awful. We just missed it a LOT of times this winter.

[TOXIC]

On Anna I think there is a factor of consistency.  The water is consistently warmer year after year.  There’s no sudden change.  It’s the norm for those bass and when using the daylight stimuli to signal spring, the water temp overrides it to some degree.