Spawn

[Troublehook]

Big question for you guys. I could have asked another forum, but since we are all from the same area, and you guys know the approxamate dates im asking you...

Anyways, i nevere really learned/understood about spawning, so if you have a minute, could you please explain what it is, where the fish are, the time of the year(as specifically as possible please) what to use, why it is so signifagant to fishing, and whatever else you think may be usefull.

Thanks a ton.

[delmuts]

the simple part of your question is; the spawn is when the females lay thier eggs and the males fertilize them. now the time of year, i.e. usually spring( but at different times ,depending on speicies). if you could be a little more specific about what type of fish it would be a little easier. also. if you do some looking , there are some very good books that can give you info such as water temps, and types of structure to name just a couple of things.

[Troublehook]

I guess if any species, I would like to learn about bass spawning. What months of spring? how do we know if it is prespawn, spawn or post spawn?

[Ice9]

If you're getting blanked, it's postspawn.

ice

[CrappieJohn]

For bass in Mn, late-May/June is about the usual time. Depending on weather trends, where within the state and water temps, spawning could be underway as early as late May in the soutern portions of the state, but more likely later if the weather keeps the water temps down and you are looking at the northern part of the state.

The problem with "the spawn" is that variables outside of our control do a lot to control when it occurs. A short answer would be pretty generic. The fact that there are a lot of spring spawning fish, and they all have their own variables to deal with, makes this a pretty broad topic to cover when you consider that the "spawn" , covered in its entirety, will also deal with pre-spawn and post-spawn periods. Fish locations and fishing techniques will ride heavily on what stage of the spawn you are in.

[schweady]

Hey, a great big happy birthday, CrappieTom! Thanks for the super info you provide to all the FMers out there.

[WxGuy]

In SE MN we have a healthy population of naturally reproducing brown trout, and the need for stocking is dwindling on many of the area's trout streams.

In October (closed season), female browns build little saucer shaped nests called "redds" in gravelly areas of our cold spring creeks. This is typically done in headwaters of streams, but in the healthiest streams, it can be anywhere where the habitat is good. They prefer the colder moving water near springs. The male guards the redd as the female lays eggs, then the male fertilizes the eggs. Then the female covers the eggs with the gravel and then tries to lay more eggs that are again fertilized by the male. The females can lay up to a couple thousand eggs in one redd.

Once they've done their duty, the adults go back to where they came from...which in some cases isn't too far away.

It's always a good idea to avoid wading as much as possible during the winter season (especially in the gravelly riffles of streams) so as not to stomp on the eggs.

By the next spring, there is typically a very large population of fry (baby trout) that are in a very vulnerable position. They are susceptible to floods due to heavy rain or rapid snow melt, and adult brown trout have no problems eating their young. So goes the life cycle of trout.

Like bass, trout can be very defensive of their redds during the spawn, and can be caught more "easily". The trout fishing season is closed in SE MN during their spawn to encourage natural reproduction. That isn't the case in other locations like Colorado where the season is open year-round. The trout population isn't as well established here as it is there.

[Troublehook]

thanks for the info guys

[katoguy]

(bass) The major movement of spawning will also coincide around the full moon periods. Weather trends are huge. Many times bass will move up in preparation, but a front will force them back off. If this happens too often, there may be a very limited spawn for the year. The bigger females can move up and back out almost overnight. This happened this past year (around Mankato). Many anglers thought the spawn didn't take place. I believe it did, just in and out quickly (as the saying goes...wham, bam, ...).

[MURPHFISHER]

I absolutely love fishing in the spring. I am by no means an expert, but I have had some lucky days on the Zumbro down here in the very early spring where I and a friend have caught 30 to 40 of the different sucker species (up to 6 pounds or more) in a few hours with a crawler on the bottom. Some may say it is a "trash" fish, and what is the point. I for one never tire of sitting on the river bank before the grass is even green catching that many fish.

[delmuts]

murph; i have done that too. one sof my friends will get a group together and we go sucker fishing. it is a riot!! we will fill three or four big coolers with them. then go home and clean them. then the one guy takes all the fillets and makes a big batch of pickled hering with them !

[WxGuy]

Quote:

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I absolutely love fishing in the spring. I am by no means an expert, but I have had some lucky days on the Zumbro down here in the very early spring where I and a friend have caught 30 to 40 of the different sucker species (up to 6 pounds or more) in a few hours with a crawler on the bottom. Some may say it is a "trash" fish, and what is the point. I for one never tire of sitting on the river bank before the grass is even green catching that many fish.

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Fishing that spawn, and fishing for bigger fish of other species downstream of the sucker spawn can be a blast too. Other fish will be downstream eating up the eggs from the suckers....