What happens when water temperature doesn’t change. What trigger the spawn?

[GRiver]

After reading the thread from Buzzbaiter, “can’t catch fish in the spring” got me thinking.
What happens in spring fed rivers where the temperature of the water doesn’t change? What triggers the spawn? The water is a constant low 70’s all year round, and crystal clear. Water temp is what makes the spawn right? Or am I wrong?

I’ve fished this river and it’s “ It’s a hard row to hoe” water gin clear, cold and has a steady current….. I forget how many gal a sec come out of the spring head. 
 

[OkobojiEagle]

length of daylight as well as sun intensity probably play a part also...

[casts_by_fly]

Look for the thread "maximizing your prespawn time on the water" a page or two down in this general forum.  Some good discussion on this very topic.  

[GRiver]

2 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Some good discussion on this very topic.

Thanks

i don’t know how I missed the thread.

[TnRiver46]

5 hours ago, GRiver said:

After reading the thread from Buzzbaiter, “can’t catch fish in the spring” got me thinking.
What happens in spring fed rivers where the temperature of the water doesn’t change? What triggers the spawn? The water is a constant low 70’s all year round, and crystal clear. Water temp is what makes the spawn right? Or am I wrong?

I’ve fished this river and it’s “ It’s a hard row to hoe” water gin clear, cold and has a steady current….. I forget how many gal a sec come out of the spring head. 
 

I fished similar  spots in Florida this winter, very fun 

[WRB]

If the water is a constant 70 degrees the spawn cycle becomes annually from the last spawn cycle for that female bass.

Under that unusual water condition the could occur a anytime for several different adult LMB.

The female bass lays eggs over a 3 to 3 eeek period, then recovers from the stress and starts to develope eggs about 10 months to mature and the cycle repeats

Tom

[TOXIC]

Length of daylight also keys bass into the season and spawn also moon cycles coupled with daylight cycles.  If the water is a constant temperature that will key them in.  I have seen a poor spawn when water temps drop unseasonably low during the normal spawn cycle.  Female bass will not spawn if the water temps drop too low.  They know the eggs will not survive and will simply absorb them back into their body. 

[Chris Catignani]

It think everyone hit on some the key things. 
The water temperature just needs to be consistently over sixty to sixty-five degrees.

[Catt]

21 hours ago, GRiver said:

Water temp is what makes the spawn right?

 

7 hours ago, Chris Catignani said:

The water temperature just needs to be consistently over sixty to sixty-five degrees.

 

Wrong x2 ?

 

Water temperatures is just one part of the process. 

 

What happens in bodies of water that never reach 60°?

 

You can not single out any one part of the equation.

[GRiver]

It didn’t even occur the length of the day could trigger spawn.

That make sense, as the days start to get longer, means it’s spring….. time to have babies.

 

[Bankc]

I'd wager that daylight length has more to do with it than actual temperatures.  Just look at the bugs, birds, and trees.  They tend to come around in spring and go away in the fall around the same time each year, regardless of how hot or cold the current trend is.  Sure, the temperature can slow down or speed up their cycles.  But they won't completely prevent them.  

[Glenn]

This should help!

 

[gim]

4 hours ago, Catt said:

What happens in bodies of water that never reach 60°?

That's a valid point.  I have to wonder if a waterbody even has a natural reproducing population of bass if the water literally NEVER reaches 60 degrees anywhere though.

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

That's a valid point.  I have to wonder if a waterbody even has a natural reproducing population of bass if the water literally NEVER reaches 60 degrees anywhere though.

Species are adaptable...it's called evolution.

 

If a fish species lives in a body of water that never reaches 'optimum' temperature for what is considered normal spawning temp...whether it's too high or too low...then they'll evolve to breed at the temp that the body of water stabilizes at.

[TnRiver46]

41 minutes ago, gimruis said:

That's a valid point.  I have to wonder if a waterbody even has a natural reproducing population of bass if the water literally NEVER reaches 60 degrees anywhere though.

We have bass that live in waters that never get over 60

[WRB]

The OP ? Was if the water temp never changes and is always 60

degrees. 
Seems hypothetical but possible.

There is a reason the natural range for LMB is limited and that is water temperature, too cold to reproduce No LMB.
Smallmouth northern range is further north because they can reproduce in colder water under 58 degrees successfully.

Florida strain LMB are limited range because can’t survive water colder 45 degrees and limits there northern range.

60 degree water it takes about 10 days for fertilized LMB eggs to hatch, 65 degrees about 3 days, higher survival  rate.

There are shallow pockets in 60 degree river water that are warmer allowing LMB to spawn successfully, if not fewer bass recruitment. 
It is what it is.

Tom

 

[Woody B]

I think "we" (especially me) often over estimate the effect of the "surface" temperature we read with our electronics.  Last winter I put my infrared temperature gun in my boat and started checking the temperature of bass I caught.  One particular day in January air temp was mid 40's and the surface temp was 48 to 51.   I caught several bass right off the bottom in 30 feet of water.  The temperature of those bass was 56 to 58 degrees.   After that I lost that bite and didn't catch any for a couple hours.   Later I saw bass, right up against the bank in the Sun.  I threw my tackle box at them, only to be ignored.  Finally, even though it was January in NC I tied on a Devils Horse.   I caught several including a few 4 pounders.   Their temperature was 59 to 63 degrees.   I guess they were warming in the Sun.   I've never caught NC bass on any kind of topwater lure in January in NC.   

 

I think length of day, and possibly time since last spawn are big factors on when a bass spawns.   Length of day might actually affect the "bed" temperature more than the weather effects surface temperature.  I don't target, (or avoid) bedding bass.  The water clarity where I fish most is rarely good enough for me to see bedding bass.   I haven't checked any bass temperature lately but I'll start back for a while.   

 

Today, all day the forecast is mid 40's and rain.  Last week the surface temp was 63.   I doubt that's changed much, maybe down a degree or 2.   I'll check the temperature of any bass I catch today.  I hope this intention doesn't jinx me into a skunk.  LOL

[TnRiver46]

45 minutes ago, Woody B said:

I think "we" (especially me) often over estimate the effect of the "surface" temperature we read with our electronics.  Last winter I put my infrared temperature gun in my boat and started checking the temperature of bass I caught.  One particular day in January air temp was mid 40's and the surface temp was 48 to 51.   I caught several bass right off the bottom in 30 feet of water.  The temperature of those bass was 56 to 58 degrees.   After that I lost that bite and didn't catch any for a couple hours.   Later I saw bass, right up against the bank in the Sun.  I threw my tackle box at them, only to be ignored.  Finally, even though it was January in NC I tied on a Devils Horse.   I caught several including a few 4 pounders.   Their temperature was 59 to 63 degrees.   I guess they were warming in the Sun.   I've never caught NC bass on any kind of topwater lure in January in NC.   

 

I think length of day, and possibly time since last spawn are big factors on when a bass spawns.   Length of day might actually affect the "bed" temperature more than the weather effects surface temperature.  I don't target, (or avoid) bedding bass.  The water clarity where I fish most is rarely good enough for me to see bedding bass.   I haven't checked any bass temperature lately but I'll start back for a while.   

 

Today, all day the forecast is mid 40's and rain.  Last week the surface temp was 63.   I doubt that's changed much, maybe down a degree or 2.   I'll check the temperature of any bass I catch today.  I hope this intention doesn't jinx me into a skunk.  LOL

Mother Earth stays around 55 at my latitude, that’s why bass and other fish put their bellies in the mud when it’s cold 

[Woody B]

I got soaked today.  My rain gear isn't waterproof anymore.   I was pretty much soaked by the time I launched my boat.  I decided to catch 1 and go back home.  Anyway,  surface temp was up to 64.   It was really warm all week until late yesterday.   Surface temp was 64,  bass temp was 64.   The bass was full of eggs.   

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, Woody B said:

I got soaked today.  My rain gear isn't waterproof anymore.   I was pretty much soaked by the time I launched my boat.  I decided to catch 1 and go back home.  Anyway,  surface temp was up to 64.   It was really warm all week until late yesterday.   Surface temp was 64,  bass temp was 64.   The bass was full of eggs.   

Yeah my rain gear gave up the ghost recently as well. I’ve sprayed it a few times 

[GRiver]

On 4/7/2023 at 1:17 PM, WRB said:

The OP ? Was if the water temp never changes and is always 60

 

On 4/6/2023 at 7:03 AM, GRiver said:

The water is a constant low 70’s all year round, and crystal clear.

I thought it was the temp of the water changing temp that triggered “the spawn” never thought about length of of day could trigger it too. 
The  river is  only about 6 miles long,( Rainbow river, Fl.) I know it has LB, caught dinks before. Under a pound, some I wondered how they got hooked. Seen a lot bigger ones but they ignore everything I’ve thrown.

[WRB]

Bass are cold blooded animals therefore their body temperature is equal to the water temperature they are acclimated to period.

Female require a time period to develop and when matured the female wants to lay her egg,

Neatly every animal including fish are influenced by lunar cycles, full moon tends to start spawning cycles.

The female needs a make to fertilize eggs, the make needs to have milt available to fertilize the eggs. 
With a constant 70 degree water temps the cycle will be random on lieu of colder water warming. Photo periods with longer sunlight days works to warm the colder water but in this situation longer days are not relevant. 
Seems to be a hypothetical  or artificial in lieu of actual condition.

Tom

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gim]

7 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Yeah my rain gear gave up the ghost recently as well. I’ve sprayed it a few times 

I tried re-waterproofing about 10 year old rain gear the year before last.  Didn't work very well.

 

Bought a new set last March and it is my intention to apply a coat of waterproofing to it regularly, rather than waiting 10 years.

[Chris Catignani]

[Catt]

18 minutes ago, Chris Catignani said:

 

Show that to the bass