Thread: Fish still in spawn pattern?

Last few trips in central Va (Charlottesville region) I keep finding the fish tight to shore and only hitting a jig cast within 18" of shore. Nice black tuxedos. So I assume this means they are still spawning? I'm not getting any on minnows back away from shore except for random fish caught trolling. Water temps around here 75 -77.

Hey Wasabi, I think some fish still haven't spawned. I took home ten fish one day this past week and when I cleaned them 8 out of the 10 were spawned out but 2 still had eggs. All fish were caught in 8' to 10' fow on jigs.

Hmm. I can't catch a crappie except within 18" of shore still. Went again today and still nothing but tuxedos up tight to shore. I tried deeper but no takers.

Originally Posted by wasabi

Hmm. I can't catch a crappie except within 18" of shore still. Went again today and still nothing but tuxedos up tight to shore. I tried deeper but no takers.

Just late spawners I guess.

All the crappie I caught today in Suffolk looked like postspawn fish. Some were fairly beat up, most showed some signs of spawning. The also were not as heavy as you would expect for their length. I think we are done with the spawn in Suffolk. Suits me fine.

Lakes in the Charlottesville area are 500' above sea level. By comparison, Western Branch is 25' above sea level. The higher elevation means a later growing season (a week or two) for plants. Apparently, the same is true for the seasonal behavior of fish.