Bream on the beds..

[JigginPoleJoe]

During the spring and summer we catch bluegills and red ears on the bank in shallow water.
I assume they are spawning?
If so how often do they spawn?

Sometimes they are there sometimes not.. When they are not, try again the next week and they are back..

How does this cycle go about?

[wademaster]

The red-ear sunfish will reproduce when it is one year old. This fish nests in colonies similar to bluegill and if submerged plants are available it will make a nest in the midst of, or near this vegetation. In the spring (May-June) of the year when the water temperature reaches 68 to 70 degrees F. the male red-ear goes into the shallow water areas of the lake to make a nest. The male fans out the nest with his fins and tail. Nest building may last as long as a day or two, after which he locates and drives a female red-ear to his nest. The two fish swim around over the nest in circular fashion and form a V figure with their vents pressed together. The female then emits eggs and the male simultaneously releases milt. The eggs are fertilized as they fall into the nest. Several spawnings may occur after which the female leaves and the male red-ear takes a position over the nest to guard the eggs from predators and to fan the water above the eggs so it will circulate and aerate the eggs until they hatch. The eggs hatch in 6 to 10 days depending upon the water temperature. After hatching, the fry will stay in the nest for about a week with a male still standing guard. After this time, they leave the nest in search of food and then they are on their own. The female red-ear may lay from 2,000 to 10,000 or more eggs depending on her size and condition. Breeding males can be distinguished from the females by the darker colored head, gill covers and body, and lack of a pot-bellied appearance.


The red-ear seems to have fewer young than the bluegill. This is probably due to the fact that they have a shorter spawning season than does the bluegill. The red-ear usually spawns right after the largemouth bass.

[tnpondmanager]

Bluegill spawn multiple times a year, generally at least three or four times from April through September. Everything I've ever read about redear says they only spawn once a year, and this has also been my observation. A female bluegill also lays many times more eggs than a female redear - up to 100,000, one fish. (This, and the multiple spawns yearly, is why they're much more prone to overpopulation than redear.)

[T.C.]

Redear aka shellcracker seem to be a little harder to catch than bluegill IMO but that may be because of the above statement. There are not as many........

[tnpondmanager]

You're right, Young Gun, there are not nearly as many shellcracker, as a rule, in any given body of water that also has bluegill, as there are bluegill, due to the reproductive difference. And since there are far fewer of them, they're harder to catch.

[JigginPoleJoe]

So...

When I catch 25-50 bluegills on a bed, in 5ft of water.. Is this the spawn?

[deathb4disco]

So...

When I catch 25-50 bluegills on a bed, in 5ft of water.. Is this the spawn?

By definition, if they're on the beds, they're spawning.

[JigginPoleJoe]

By definition, if they're on the beds, they're spawning.

So I guess different fish spawn different days...
So there is no way to know exactly when they will be on these beds?

All I know is most of the time during the summer I can find them, certain weeks they seem non existent.

The days I can't find them I have been told the moon is not right!?!?!?

[T.C.]

A few days before and after the full moon have been the best days for myself. The day of the full moon has been tough in my experiences. By the way, I never saw you mention that all of the fish you are catching came from the same spot. Bream can be caught in shallow water, close to the bank almost all the time, that doesn't mean it's a bed or they are spawning. You know it's a bed when you can see the bowl shaped beds (if the water is clear enough), you are catching multiple fish in the exact spot, and the males will piss when you squeeze them.

[wademaster]

Going fishing is the best method of determining anything for yourself. That's the best way I form an opinion, and the best way to learn. Good luck.