The James (behind The Dam)

[Daveinozark]

i've been having good luck there too last couple of outings. It does get busy so I try to get out early and leave early. i've been throwing brown tubes and doing well.

Does anyone ever keep anything out of that spot? The water there is so foul, I'm afraid too

[smallmouthjoe]

OK, here's the info I was able to gather from asking one of my professors at school. There has been no documentation of a fish developing eggs out of season on The James, but there was a case of a white sucker population some where around Taneycomo that did. He told me that it was possible for the heightened water temps to induce the development of eggs but more than likely they would not become fully developed and would probably be reabsorbed. This is all speculation of course we don't know anything until we truly know it.

He also said that it was just more than likely a really full spot. So there you go, more than likely a really full spot.

But if anyone else notices this sort of thing going on below the dam please send me a pm. I could potentially use it further on down the road in my academic career. Thanks.

[eric1978]

OK, here's the info I was able to gather from asking one of my professors at school. There has been no documentation of a fish developing eggs out of season on The James, but there was a case of a white sucker population some where around Taneycomo that did. He told me that it was possible for the heightened water temps to induce the development of eggs but more than likely they would not become fully developed and would probably be reabsorbed. This is all speculation of course we don't know anything until we truly know it.

He also said that it was just more than likely a really full spot. So there you go, more than likely a really full spot.

But if anyone else notices this sort of thing going on below the dam please send me a pm. I could potentially use it further on down the road in my academic career. Thanks.

Occam's razor.

But just by chance it was an anomaly and you really suspected the fish was full of eggs, it wouldn't be the end of the world to keep it and take it to the bio lab at your school. I'm sure you could get a professor to slice it open and tell you what's up. Go back and catch her again. You got me curious now.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I haven't kept many Blacks, mostly from ponds that the owners wanted thinned. I know I've seen eggs in them late in the summer, but as I said they were small and very tight in the sack. I don't know anymore than that, but I would assume there has to be a certain amount of time for development.

[Al Agnew]

I just cleaned 11 spots from Big River the other day, and they were mostly females with eggs, though the egg sacs were pretty small.

So I think your fish had just been eating exceptionally well. Cooler water temps could have stunned or killed some threadfin shad which the fish then gorged upon. I've caught stupidly fat spotted bass below Clearwater Dam when the threadfin shad are coming through the dam dead or nearly so. It apparently doesn't take long for them to really put on fat in the late fall/early winter.

[smallmouthjoe]

I went to go check on the fish of interest yesterday and was unable to catch her or any other fish for that matter. Completely skunked, first time in a long while. I think I was getting too big for my britches anyway, humbling outings such as that one make me want to work harder and get better.