So when does the spawn start?

[Fusionwerks]

It might be a bit early to think about it, but I wanted to start a thread and start asking for input on the upcoming spawn at DVL and how I should go about taking on this time of the year.

For those of you that dont know me, I have been around DVL for a few years, but I havent been a serious fisherman all that long. I have really gotten a lot better over the past year. I went from shore fishing, to renting boats, to hiring guides, to now...owning my own boat. Life has really changed since the days when i didnt care what happened anywhere on the lake except for the 100 yards around me from the shoreline. Now that i can reach anywhere on the lake it really opens up new opportunities to explore other fishing techniques.

Now that the spawn is coming i wanted to get others input on:
1. when you expect the spawn to start,
2. what to look for to indicate that it is happening,
3. what kind of techniques you plan to use to get bit.

I guess im getting impatient, because I am SO looking forward to the days where the boils are the size of football fields again, and i can stop drop-shotting in 60 feet of water and have to fizz every bass, but until then I need to start working on my game plan for the next change of action out there.

[Ifishtoolittle]

You sound like an accomplished angler, so why such a trival question?

I'm not going to say I know bass fishing because I still have much to learn about the behavior of the fish. What I would consider as to when the spawn is on is 1)Water temperature, 2)Actually seeing a fish swimming around the shallows, 3)Developing nests, 4)Increased fauna and flora activity, and I think that's about it. Since you have a boat do you have any electronics on it? Fish finder? If I were in your position I would cruise around the lake and look for schools of fish.

For lures and techniues I would study up on what the primary forage is for DVL is and if I remember correctly there is a lot. A lot. Trout, Bluegills, Crayfish (2 species I think), Silversides, Shad, and basically anything that swims in the water or is struggling in the water. For the techniques I'll let others help you out on that; as I have little experience with bass at DVL during the spawn.

[Sublime-Steve]

It started.. go fishing :-)

[fishindude420]

It started.. go fishing :-)

shhhhhhh! lol. All the people who ONLY bed fish are gonna come out from hibernation and start raping these fish since its the only way they know how to catch! ahhaha

[DarkShadow]

I think it officially starts on March 20th, but I'd have to check my calendar.

:Wink:

•

I think the spawn will start when the water temperatures reach that magical number which will cause the males to push up to shallower water to nest. I've seen fish on beds at DVL starting in late February and have seen males still guarding nests in June, so your question can have a variety of answers.

[Fusionwerks]

You sound like an accomplished angler, so why such a trival question?

I'm not going to say I know bass fishing because I still have much to learn about the behavior of the fish. What I would consider as to when the spawn is on is 1)Water temperature, 2)Actually seeing a fish swimming around the shallows, 3)Developing nests, 4)Increased fauna and flora activity, and I think that's about it. Since you have a boat do you have any electronics on it? Fish finder? If I were in your position I would cruise around the lake and look for schools of fish.

For lures and techniues I would study up on what the primary forage is for DVL is and if I remember correctly there is a lot. A lot. Trout, Bluegills, Crayfish (2 species I think), Silversides, Shad, and basically anything that swims in the water or is struggling in the water. For the techniques I'll let others help you out on that; as I have little experience with bass at DVL during the spawn.

yes i know its a trivial question, but i just wanted to see if what i know and understand about the spawn was in line with what others thought. im by no means an accomplished angler, but i do manage to get fish in the boat almost every trip without fail. I caught 9 last saturday. all in deeper water. (60-ish) I felt like Mike Iaconelli...4:25...9 fish...drop-shotting like a mad man trying for 10! :)

yes i do have electronics and i do have about 35 waypoints locked in that usually produce. most of them are in deeper water, so i guess next time i go out i should take some time out of fishing and check out some of the shallower water.

[Ifishtoolittle]

yes i know its a trivial question, but i just wanted to see if what i know and understand about the spawn was in line with what others thought. im by no means an accomplished angler, but i do manage to get fish in the boat almost every trip without fail. I caught 9 last saturday. all in deeper water. (60-ish) I felt like Mike Iaconelli...4:25...9 fish...drop-shotting like a mad man trying for 10! :)

yes i do have electronics and i do have about 35 waypoints locked in that usually produce. most of them are in deeper water, so i guess next time i go out i should take some time out of fishing and check out some of the shallower water.

Man you're better than me lol. Then again I've never gone one full day solely pursuing bass before I wuss out and hit the Gills.

[tree]

Why not go to the places on shore that you used to fish on foot, and re-cover them with your boat and electronics, picking the spots apart to see what the fish were relating to.

[exfactor]

Find the flats, and dropoffs close by, and you've narrowed it down. Consider the wind, where the bait will set up. Most anglers who start on the shore have a distinct advantage over most anglers because they "watch whats happening around them" while pondering what is the meaning of bass.

[Troutcz swimbait]

Next full moon be ready,some males already showing.

[SGVANGLER]

here we go again........lol

[gletemfeelsteelgary]

LMAO....I think everyone is tryin ta pull a trigger prematurely..

water temps are way off still...don't even have to check....weathers been cold for a good degree...gonna take some steady warming trend to translate to water temps

I'd keep monitoring water conditions...

U also need to be specific regarding ur questions, meaning LMB or stripers....

Either way the spawning fish arent gonna boil as U mention above during a spawn....

Traditional times should b March-April but fish don't use a calendar, their internal biology indicates when ta get da groove on....

I know Ur anxious but I'd say b patient....but what do I know ?

That certainly doesn't mean don't go fish it.....


Go pound it and pound it often : )


that will put you in fine tune with all changing conditions and U'll begin to obtain seasonal cycle history for years to come that will help in scores for future trips....of course conditions do change year to year-but tend to typically have a certain degree of regularity in just about any body of water..

If one were to really follow patterning you might find :

a yearly cycle
a five year cycle
a ten year cycle etc....

As lake conditions change such as striper reproduction the LMB pattern will certainly be affected etc.

Dig into it...

Go fish it : )

Good luck..

Gary

[PUDD MASTER BAITER]

i know the males are already showing up at the pudd hole, and the females are ripe with eggs.

[Pete Marino]

I think that some bass will move up during the next moon phase.. Last Year I fished a National Bass event on Feb 21st and stuck a 5 lb bedfish.
I didnt see anymore so they werent up in numbers but there were a couple..

[bassgrabber1]

Simply put ..they will spawn when they are ready. That being said , it really depends on the water temp and how long it stays at a certain temp. Many people are seeing these males come in because they are getting ready and when the water is hitting 60* during the early afternoon thats when they probably see most of these fish. Many factors come in to play for the spawn and you can still catch nice fish right now. Well when its all said and done, its gonna be water temps that get them going.....good luck.

[tree]

"watch whats happening around them" while pondering what is the meaning of bass.

I love this quote. we watch the world spinning around us as we twitch our little jigs and minnows all while contemplating BASS.


edit: 42

[wackyrigged]

Yes some fish will be up in the shallows soon sun bathing, as for a full force spawn I think that is sometime away.Also remember not all fish behave the same in any given body of water some will be early to spawn some will be late,this assures some eggs/fry will live in case of sudden bad conditions.

[Fusionwerks]

LMAO....I think everyone is tryin ta pull a trigger prematurely..

water temps are way off still...don't even have to check....weathers been cold for a good degree...gonna take some steady warming trend to translate to water temps

I'd keep monitoring water conditions...

U also need to be specific regarding ur questions, meaning LMB or stripers....

Either way the spawning fish arent gonna boil as U mention above during a spawn....

Gary

i agree with being a bit premature, but i was only asking because i know its coming, and i wasnt really paying attention to the spawn last year. hell last year at this time i didnt have a clue about much of anything. but since then i have done my homework and put in a lot of time on the water.

regarding which species...i didnt really think about that, but i think deep down i was refering to LMBs more specifically, since thats what i target. stripers for me are fun to catch, but i dont go out of my way looking to catch them specifically.

and yes i know that fish dont boil during the spawn...my comment was i cannot wait till the time when they do.

[Matt_Magnone]

2 weeks ago we pulled a fish off a bed. this week ive seen a few relating to beds but not completely locked. we'll continue to see random fish here and again until the water hits the magic number and the temperature begins to increase. these next few days may have the fish up more so than normal. lots of fish are up in the bushes as well as out in the 25 to 30' zone. its close im talking major pre pre pre spawn.

[Perris Bluegill Chaser]

Man you're better than me lol. Then again I've never gone one full day solely pursuing bass before I wuss out and hit the Gills.
how did you do with the gills?

[TurtleSlayer]

its starts at 941 am tomorrow or sat

[JigStop]

The "sight fishing" at DVL during the spawn takes a lot of patient. There are just so many tournaments there that most of the fish on the beds have sore mouths or have been pestered so much much that it takes 50-60 drops on the bed to get a reaction strike.

[mirage2887]

The "sight fishing" at DVL during the spawn takes a lot of patient. There are just so many tournaments there that most of the fish on the beds have sore mouths or have been pestered so much much that it takes 50-60 drops on the bed to get a reaction strike.
lol this is true and time consuming when sight fishing the bass probly take your bait to please you and so you can go away hahaha

[Ifishtoolittle]

how did you do with the gills?

No contest. I released over 200 on one particular outing and that was in a period of 6 hours, and on artificials too!