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(2) The Male Is the Telltale
In the spawn situation, the male (which is the smaller fish) makes and guards the bed. The larger female typically lurks at the perimeter, not far away, and usually in deeper water. Interestingly, the male fish tends to indicate the position of the female as he guards the bed, pointing to her like a weather vane. Observing them as I drifted into view from a distance, I saw that until the males became preoccupied with my swimming (very close), they consistently gave away the females' locations. If I wanted to find a female, I just looked at the tip of the male's nose and scanned a trajectory about 20 feet out. Usually she was right there.
The lesson: When you see one fish on the bed and cannot see the other, but suspect "mama" fish is nearby, assume that he's looking right at her.
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Spawning dates vary by region, but they are always closely tied to water temperature. Find out from your local fisheries manager when you can expect the following temps, and plan your days accordingly. PRESPAWN: Right around when the water reaches 60 degrees Fahrenheit, males move to shallows and start making beds. Females are bulking up. Use crankbaits, jerkbaits, and ¿¿¿¿swimbaits. PRIME SPAWN: When the water hits 62 degrees, especially around the full moon phase, it¿¿¿¿¿¿¿s prime sight-fishing time (assuming the water is clear). Soft-plastic worms and jigs can elicit angry strikes. POSTSPAWN: As the water warms into the high 60s and low 70s, the females move away from the beds, and the males stick around to guard the fry. Males are susceptible to the same jig or soft-plastic annoying baits. Females get selective¿¿¿¿¿¿¿try soft plastics in natural colors and hard-bodied jerkbaits in slightly deeper water. POST-POSTSPAWN: The fish are eating, getting themselves back into form. Soft plastics and swimbaits work well on dropoffs and in deeper water. --K.D. |
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