https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIHcX_dbldg
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Biggest factor in his statement is "South of I-40" ... :biggrin
(that's basically from mid Tenn to Fla/Texas)
He is correct in his point about length of day, though. Studies have shown that when the length of day reaches past 13hrs (sunup to sunset) the spawn should be beginning.
If you haven't already seen it, you might be interested in this article : http://www.crappie.com/crappie/content.php?r=311
Interesting opinion and read.
I admit,I've always wondered about water temp and spawn.I live on a farm,daylight length and moon phase sure has their hands in the farm animals.The amount of light also plays a large roll in antler growth,and the rut in whitetail deer( perhaps other deer also.
I do not doubt water temp plays a role in the spawn,but with temp,there is a vast range of difference due to geographical locations.I could lean toward the belief that fish acclimate to water temps over time,(generations )allowing northern fish to spawn at lower temps than their southern kin........Dang,just when I thought I had a grip on it?
Some truth in that. Fish have a clock....and if water temps do not get to the so called spawning temps and the clock says go...they go. I fish the Caney Fork River for trout.....but I also fish it for big black nose crappie....and chunky bluegill. A lot of folks are amazed that big crappie...and plenty of them, come out of that water. The water temps stay around 52-54 degrees year round on upper part of river. Crappie and Gills spawn in that temp.
Regards
We find a few big sows on shallow stumps in Feb here but never saw any males turned dark that early . I figured they moved up on warm days to help mature the eggs . I am not sure they are spawning till you atleast see males in dark colors . Usually when spawning occurs you will catch some females with loose eggs also . But all the spawning does not happen at once either . I see some deeper river lakes with fish appearing to be spawning over several weeks . One lake we see fish ready to spawn in early April or late March and still seeing some moving shallow in full spawning shape after May .
This Saturday ... Full Moon in February. :fish
Let us know how that works out for you ... considering it's not only a Full Moon, but also a Snow Moon Eclipse and the appearance of a comet (the green hued comet 45P). :Doh::yikes:RoflQuote:
Originally Posted by Jiggah
There is a earlier spawn in south Arkansas by as much as a month , we are just below I-40 here .
Her up Nort we had one summer where the mighty Mississippi never warmed up properly and we were catching Gills and Crappies in the main river proper that never spawned in July. Where back water areas the fish we were catching were spawned out. My belief is water temp plays a very big part of the spawn. That is my unscientific opinion and I am sticking to it.
Yeah,just when we think we got it figured out,we figure out we don't! You jogged my memory in your post,two years ago I was catching crappie in 4' of water mid summer on beds.I can't really recall the temps,but all spring this lake was so Muddy you could walk on it........makes one wonder if the extremely muddy water postponed the spawn?Quote:
Originally Posted by Bricks