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Strange year, I usually find some fish on the beds in mid-March with the main spawn occurring the last week of March and the first week of April. The few fish on Lake Wheeler I'm finding on beds haven't spawn yet and many typical spawning areas have been mostly absent of fish this year so far.
Just curious what everyone has been experiencing?
Definitely a different year !
Haven’t got to go as much as I like but have only caught one here or their that was dressed up!
I agree, very weird. I’ve fished limestone last weekend and today. Last weekend water was flowing hard. I managed 3 crappie from the pits, all three still had eggs. Today shoulda been a good day, nada. I gave up and ran some jugs for catfish out in the bay/flats this evening. Normally I kill the channels out there on jugs. Today, 1 catfish.
I HaVnt been a lot. Few good trips. More difficult trips than good ones. Still good days on water. Eggs every time here also kinda unusual.
All fish i caught(specks) up until last week had eggs. Then water jumped 6 degrees and they vanished
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Has been a strange year weather wise
Same here DB. I managed 1 crappie last monday and every trip before that has been uneventful. I've done way better from the bank than out of the boat this year. Seems like it has been a great year so far for the gills, lots of pictures of numerous great fish have been showing up in my feed. I may see if I can get on some this week, weather and water conditions permitting.
Here on Neely it just depends on what part of the lake your fishing. I’ve found post spawn fish and some pre stage and some on the beds. Am finding a lot spawning out deeper this year
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Im seeing the same thing on Pickwick. Fish this weekend still had eggs with some being 10% thin (runny). Not a lot of fish up shallow. Takes all day to get a limit.
However, we are catching many small fish which is a good thing of course.
I'm sure the sloughs in the upper end of Wheeler had plenty of spawning fish. Crappie follow the shad as they spawn and the water comes up. Those sloughs warm in a matter of days with warm, sunny weather. Unlike small lakes, I don't have any concern about losing a year class of fish on Wheeler, just the numbers may be down and it's made it hard to pattern the fish. Of course, lots of anglers will also be going home with empty coolers this spring when the fishing is usually easy. Just a strange year and I was wondering if the same is happening all over or just the areas I frequent on Wheeler.
So does that mean they aren’t gonna be there period??Ive never done very good in the spring so just trying to learn. I’ll take fall anytime.
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I like fall better, the fish are just eating!
In the spring they are looking to spawn. A cold front will shut down the bite and often push them deeper (usually the first substantial drop off). It might only be a few feet deeper, but they're notorious for the bite stopping until the water starts to warm back up. If conditions don't align with what they want the fish will just move off, absorb their eggs and not spawn that year.
Small bodies of water you loss a whole year class of fish. Larger bodies of water like Wheeler there's always plenty that find the conditions they like. Hopefully the fry spread out across the system over the next couple years, and you don't even notice. :twocents
Seen years like this where many of the crappie (especially whites) spawn in deeper water. Just depends on how the water warms up. Sometimes the deeper water gets as warm as the shallow water at the same time with weather and rain patterns.