Blacks Vs. K's Vs. Brown Fish

[dtrs5kprs]

Obviously the mild winter is going to have a big impact on the spawn, but I wonder if the higher number of blacks in the lake is making that look like more than it actually might be.

Have always thought the blacks, especially the better ones, went earlier than the K's and brownies. Seems like the pics and reports posted so far bear that out. Would love to hear any ideas on this either way.

[Wayne SW/MO]

By blacks I asume you mean largemouth or greenies. I don't think the water has warmed enough to know what the spawn will bring.

[eric1978]

My guess would be on TRL the smallmouth would think about spawning first, but I have no experience on that lake, and little experience on any lake, so it's just a guess.

But all three - largemouth, smallmouth, and Kentuckies - they're all black bass.

[skeeter]

I don't know about Kentuckies, but smallmouth always spawn before largemouth, and I would guess Ks spawn sometime between the two.

That is my understanding also.

Unless the weather cools suddenly and dramatically this Month the spawn is going to be very early this year.

[Fishrman]

I agree that it could happen, but we still have cooler nights that keep things in check somewhat, but ultimately there has to be a certain amount of daylight that impacts the water for incubation purposes, so longer days help attribute to the spawn as does the moon. That is just my take on it. Could be way off.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Need warmer water and a full moon. I know the water has to be in the 60's and this cold rain won't help that happen.

[dtrs5kprs]

I agree that it could happen, but we still have cooler nights that keep things in check somewhat, but ultimately there has to be a certain amount of daylight that impacts the water for incubation purposes, so longer days help attribute to the spawn as does the moon. That is just my take on it. Could be way off.

Fishrman...that is sort of my idea also. Reminds me of 2007 when it was too warm too early, then made up for it with big cold weather in April.

Maybe it is just the way I fish, but I catch and find a lot of smallmouth that are bedding a week or two into May, right up until Mother's Day or so. Blacks seem to be done by then, K's sort of all over the place depending on the weather. That is from 13 and down to the dam mostly. Have had other people tell me the brownies were done, while I was still watching them spray all over my boat carpet. Last spring, I was just getting on brown fish that were coming in to beds hard when the great Easter deluge unloaded on us leaving them in 20' of water, and that was April 25-ish?

And yes...blacks=LM, at least colloquially. It is faster than typing largemouth. Or colloquially, as it happens.

[cullinby9]

Maybe this lake is backwards but I have caught smallies in may off the beds several times for some reason they seem to hold back for stable water conditions. My only conclusion is the depth they spawn in takes longer to warm. Down here I have seen times where the LM were on beds that you could see, the spot's were bedding in the back of the same coves but in 6-9ft. and alot of times in the ditches,and the smallies on the flats in the same area's. As soon as we get a stable 58 degree water temp out on the main lake there will be fish starting to make love. For my two cents on bed fishing I prefer to fish the smallies I don't normally see them and i like that plus you can catch alot of fish real quick. I'm not much on bumping LM to make them bite and not patient enough to stay put on a single fish very long.

[edyer]

Up here in Michigan, on the same body of water, the smallmouths spawn before the largemouths. It has a lot to do with what body of water they are on as to when this happens. Some of the very large body of waters(Burt,Mullet, and Charlevoix), you can still catch smallmouths on beds into the second week of June, but on some of the smaller lakes or the shallower parts of reservoirs, they may be on beds the second week of May. On the smaller, dark bottomed lakes, the largemouths can start early in May, but any cold front pushes them back out deep. The largemouths here are very hard to catch off beds, but the smallmouths are almost two easy. Some days you can catch 50 smallmouths off beds, with half of them in the 3.5 - 5 pound range. It seems on Table Rock, things happen about a month earlier. We usually miss the spawn here because we usually come down the first week in April, but this year might be a different story. I know we have three days forecasted in the 70's next week up here, so you guys must be pushing 80.

[riverfish]

they do have us predicted for mon-wed to be right around the 80 mark hopefully this cold rain didnt drive the water temp down much the warm weather should really help us out though