I consider them to be in "pre-spawn" mode from the time they start leaving their Winter holding areas & head towards the shallows, until the males are sitting on the bed and the females are staged offshore & making trips back & forth from their staging area to the nesting area.
The actual "spawn" can be over in a few days, or due to various interruptions can last for several weeks. Not all the fish are on the same page as to what temps/conditions trigger them to head for the beds.
The fish in your picture are dressed for the dance, but probably haven't made it to the dance hall, just yet. And the eggs in the ice chest scenario "could" simply be because of the stress/strain of being caught (fighting against the rod).
The whole pre-spawn to spawn to post-spawn time frame is not a linear deal. The prevailing conditions can stop, start, or temporarily reverse the whole progression.
... cp
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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy
I consider them to be in "pre-spawn" mode from the time they start leaving their Winter holding areas & head towards the shallows, until the males are sitting on the bed and the females are staged offshore & making trips back & forth from their staging area to the nesting area.
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