Thread: The spawn as I've learned it

Every year I see people on here asking in late January about water temps and spawn activity. The best way I can put it is that it's like someone's pregnant wife. If she is 7 months pregnant with the last 3 months of cold weather and then you get a week of 70 degree weather, is she going to drop that young'un? NO! She doesnt drop when it feels right, she drops when the baby is mature enough. It's the same with fish and animals. It doesnt matter what the water temp is. I've seen them spawn when the water temp was in the 50's and lower. Yes the prime for US to find them shallow is 60-65 degree water, but if we cant find them, they still spawn just in deeper water. I've noticed that the spawn happens a little earlier the further south you go and that the smaller lakes will heat up and the spawn happen faster. Grand Bayou and Poverty Point will spawn before Darbonne, Red River, or Toledo Bend. I dont look for spawning fish ever in central La until the last 2 weeks of March (mostly on Red River cause there isn't any competition.)
As far as baits, you don't have to buy some special $2 or $3 baits over the internet to catch fish. The BEST spawn bait is anything orange (my little known fact). I buy Spike it dip and glow and make my own out of old tubes or panfish assassins. Experiment with different colors being dyed, cause some colors except the orange better than others. Don't be confused by so called jig tieing experts that show pics from 3years ago and then tell you that you cant catch them without their fancy special jig. People get snookered every year on here by con artist trying to get rich. ANYTHING ORANGE will catch as good or better than ANY fancy $3 jig. I make hair jigs but dont sell them, so I have nothing to gain from this note.
Hope this helps someone with the spawn a little.

Skipper

You just confused me. Thinkin I'll just keep doing what I do. Now I gotta get some orange jigs.

Originally Posted by Mo'nBack

Every year I see people on here asking in late January about water temps and spawn activity. The best way I can put it is that it's like someone's pregnant wife. If she is 7 months pregnant with the last 3 months of cold weather and then you get a week of 70 degree weather, is she going to drop that young'un? NO! She doesnt drop when it feels right, she drops when the baby is mature enough. It's the same with fish and animals. It doesnt matter what the water temp is.

I read that. Then, I read this:

I've noticed that the spawn happens a little earlier the further south you go and that the smaller lakes will heat up and the spawn happen faster. Skipper

I'm just going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there. Water temp and full moon. The end.

Originally Posted by PMantle

I read that. Then, I read this:



I'm just going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there. Water temp and full moon. The end.

P matnle, the water temp was 63* last week at larto and the fish sure weren't spawning. The eggs have to have time to mature first. Everyone jumps the gun a bit. The water temp is crucial when is is sustained for a few days. When the water warms the fish move up to prepare. Then a cold front comes through and moves them back out. This happens many times over the coarse of 2 months. They will spawn when the eggs are mature and the water temp is steady, weather it is January or April.

Originally Posted by BlackWidow

P matnle, the water temp was 63* last week at larto and the fish sure weren't spawning. The eggs have to have time to mature first. Everyone jumps the gun a bit. The water temp is crucial when is is sustained for a few days. When the water warms the fish move up to prepare. Then a cold front comes through and moves them back out. This happens many times over the coarse of 2 months. They will spawn when the eggs are mature and the water temp is steady, weather it is January or April.

OK, but I'm not sure why you're addressing this to me.

Originally Posted by PMantle

I'm just going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there. Water temp and full moon. The end.

Bump for PMantle, it was a new moon this weekend

IMO The best thing to do to stay on fish consistently is keep a detailed fishing log. There's not a fishing report or science that can give you exactly what the fish are going to do. Nobody knows what a crappie is thinking but another crappie. You can get within a few days and sometimes hit it year to date almost every time when the weather conditions/water conditions are similar from a previous year with a log. This allows you to ALWAYS hit it when a particular area is having fish move in there, and not be a day or 2 late and hit that area after Joe told you about it and the fish are on their way out of that area. ( He went and caught 40, you got up there 3 days later after getting his report and caught 3). If you hit every good hole on the lake spot on the date they begin moving in there to feed, you're in for one heck of a year. With this documented, you're likely to repeat year after year. Technology today (Smartphones) allow somebody to have that info in a spreadsheet for availability while on the lake. I just find this to work way better than going off of what other fishermen say the fish are doing as you know the exact coordinates basically as to where you were that day, others don't. Often times this matters greatly. Way more rewarding and you waste a lot less time looking for fish.

W

Interesting. Never had it explained in such a way. Orange is a really good color. I have some brown and orange jigs....I'll try em and see. The only question I have is about some con artist here trying to sell something to get rich. I haven't seen anything of the kind here and I'm sure that it wouldn't fall through the cracks.....Good luck with the orange jigs...SLIP

If it snows into Feb here and cold temps thru March, would there be a spawn and when? Yes there would and it would be within 3 weeks of when it normally does, no matter what the water temp. or the moon phase.

BlackWidow, I dont have a comment about the spawn but the man fishing under your post just cracks me up.