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spawning


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Just wondering if anyone new the normal spawning time for Northerns. We stayed out on Little Rock Lake the 2nd week of Feb and caught some nice northerns , while cleaning them we saw they were loaded with eggs. Is this the normal time of year ? It just seemed early to us. Anyone know?

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for what i know yes thats normal. nords spawn as soon as they can get into the creeks and rivers. keep in mind im no fish biologists though.

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I've caught many crappies in the past month or 2 with eggs, but they are not swollen full with them, like when they are in full spawn in spring.

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Northerns are one of the first spring spawners. Often spawning when their still is some ice on the lake.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

All the female fish will have spawn in them even in the late summer. It's just becomes more noticeable as we approach spring and the eggs develop more fully. Like someone already stated the pike make the run to spawn in early spring. Sometimes while there's still ice on the main lake.

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Do pike make "runs" up rivers? I think around here they nestle into the cattail areas and do their thing.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Quote:


Do pike make "runs" up rivers? I think around here they nestle into the cattail areas and do their thing.


They'll run rivers, creeks and channels into swampy areas.

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Quote:

Just wondering if anyone new the normal spawning time for Northerns. We stayed out on Little Rock Lake the 2nd week of Feb and caught some nice northerns , while cleaning them we saw they were loaded with eggs. Is this the normal time of year ? It just seemed early to us. Anyone know?


Totally natural...

All fish right now are going to have a bunch of eggs in them getting ready to spawn out in the next coming weeks/months...

I've caught fish with noticeable eggs in them as early as December.

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Northerns are the first to spawn, and it all depends on water temp. You can figure though that around the first of April they will be in the creeks/rivers.

Not 100%, but I think they need some amount of moving water to keep there eggs mixing once they have been fertilized.

I know walleyes and suckers do.

That is the order they spawn; Northern, Walleye, then Sucker. smirk.gif

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

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    • CigarGuy
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