Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Spawning Temps Surface or at the Bed

Some time back Burger ask about commonly reported spawning temps. The question was were those surface water temps or at the nest temps.

This weekend , as the LMB were on the nests, I checked. Not scientific but interesting anyway. I picked 3 LMB nest sites where I observed both male and female around the bed. The females were much bigger than the males. The nests were in different parts of the pond but all on the sunny (north) side. All were on gravel nests with white/gray stones around them in 3 ft of water. Water visibility was 4-5 ft. I did not see any fish spawn and there did not appear to be eggs or male guarding activity. I would guess no spawn yet.

The temps temps at each site were :

surface - 69

18in. - 67

bed - 65

Since most info says LMB spawn between 65-70 then from this info it is still unclear which set of temps are being used. Thoughts ?


http://srac.tamu.edu/tmppdfs/173593-200f...d794b8b2c4b6f69

Males select a nest site in
the spring after the water temperature
has stabilized above 60o F.
Bass normally spawn at temperatures
of 65 to 75F in water
depths of 1 to 4 feet near shore,
but nesting has been observed as
deep as 20 feet in clear water.
There are some data, based on
induced spawning trials, that
indicate spawning is also affected
by photoperiod or day length.

http://srac.tamu.edu/tmppdfs/173593-722f...d794b8b2c4b6f69

Eggs normally
hatch in about 10 days at 65o F or
5 days at 80o F. Fry will remain in
the nest until their yolk sacs are
absorbed (1 to 2 weeks) and disperse
when they are about 0.5 to 1
inch long. The male usually
remains on guard until then.

http://aquanic.org/publicat/state/il-in/as-501.htm

Spawning occurs during the spring and early summer when water temperatures reach 60-65oF, nest layers, 13,000 eggs/lb. body weight, eggs begin to hatch after four days.

http://floridafisheries.com/Fishes/bass.html

Spawning Habits - Spawning occurs from December through May, but usually begins in February and March in most of Florida when water temperatures reach 58 to 65 degrees and continues as temperatures rise into the 70s. The male builds saucer-shaped nests 20 to 30 inches in diameter by placing its lower jaw near the bottom and rotating around this central location. Bass prefer to build nests in hard-bottom areas along shallow shorelines or in protected areas such as canals and coves. Depending on her size, the female can lay up to 100,000 eggs, which are fertilized as they settle into the nest. After spawning is completed, usually five to 10 days, the male guards the nest and eggs and later the young (sometimes called fry) attacking anything that approaches the nest. The female bass stays near the nest or may swim a short distance and remain listless for up to a day. After hatching, the fry swim in tight schools, disbanding when the small fish reach a length of about one inch.

My $.02 :

Reported spawning temps surely must be at the depth of the nests.

Your LMB are just getting started, right? Nest temps have just reached the bottom end of the reported spawning range.

I have noticed a nice female or very large male(LMB) at the base of an old willow snag for the last two weeks knocking the fire out of every thing that gets close.