Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Spawning Question

CNBG are spawning as of yesterday. Beds all around the pond. I know they spawn a lot, but how many times and how often? What triggers the spawn? Heat, water level, water clarity?

Water temps trigger the spawn, around here BG spawning activity really heats up with both the new and full moon phases. In your area they should spawn at least 2-3 times though the summer.

ewest swears that BG (and other fish) spawn with the moon phases. I can't prove him wrong with any observations I've ever made.

Over on crappie.com, they swear the best bluegill fishing and etc. is within 3 days of the full moon once the water is warm enough - with preference to the 3 days prior to full moon.

My observations are that the male BG are much less willing to be spooked off the beds around the moon phases. In between the moon phases they spook off real easy and do not come back right away, the opposite happens within a day or two of the full of new moon phases. I also seem to catch more female BG near the beds near the moon phases too.

Beware the full moon, the Werebluegill rule the night. Don't got out at night, they're bound to take your life. There's a bad moon on the rise.

You have been warned.

Where's all the hair?

It's one of JHAP's.

It does look slimmer...
kinda makes ya wonder where it got the idea to pose in fishnets

a+ Brettski

Most pond fish require both the right photo period and temp to spawn. For example "

" Sunfish spawn several times after water temperatures
reach 21°C (Dupree and Huner 1984).

The suitable temperature range for reproduction

by bluegill L macrochirus is 20-30°C (Breder and

Rosen 1966; Banner and Hyatt 1975). Reproduction

also requires a period of 12-16 h light (West

and Hester 1966: Banner and Hyatt 1975). ...



Female bluegills

began spawning within 3 months of the initiation

of the water temperature and photoperiod

regimes, and several females spawned more than

once (up to five times per female) over a 5-month

period. "

" In a descriptive study of a closely

related species, Lepomis macrochir•s, James

(1946) described a period of gonadal quiescence

during the winter followed by a period

of active gametogenesis in the spring, concomitant

with the seasonal increases in daylength

and temperature."

This occured about every 28 days after the required temp and photoperiod were reached.


How moon phase fits in biologically I don't know. I do know I have observed many times the peak spawning activity occurring on the full moon in the mths when the photo period and water temps are optimally reached. I addition I have read accounts in studies by fisheries biologists confirming those observations.

Don't think I didn't notice what was said here.