Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Late RES spawn

With us finally getting a few days of moderately warm weather here in Virginia I saw fish in the shallows for the first time since ice out. Saw all of my normal ones as I have several species of minnows, shiners, killies and other forage. Seems they pulled through winter just fine.

As I observed some of the fish, a few groups caught my eye. I realized they were approximately 0.5" sunfish. I stocked 4 adult LES in the summer of 2012 but have never seen them again or any signs of them spawning. 2 were male and 2 were female so they certainly could have. I also stocked 25 1" RES in June of 2013. I stocked 28 all male adult BG over the past few years as well.

Anyways, the only sunfish I'm thinking they could have been were RES from a late spawn. I quickly grabbed my dip net and was able to catch a couple dozen or so. All were in fact RES. Those 25 must have finally matured late in the season last year and pulled off a late spawn. With them being so small and the pond being iced of over for over 6 weeks this winter, I was surprised so many made it. It'll be interesting to see how their growth progresses this year.

That is good to hear.

I put 25 RES in my mini forage pond last year and saw a few bedding late in the summer. Have never seen any fry though. Hope they did spawn. If not surely they will spawn this spring.

Water temp 55 degrees here at the surface and on a sunny day lots of BG and FHM active.

Snrub
You're in Kansas and I'm in Texas, your water temp is 55, mine was 55 this morning as well, that's odd that it's the same

Pat

Nothin active at all and no bites..... Hope the cormorants didn't clean me out!

Travis I documented a very late Summer/Early Fall RES spawn either last year or year before. Definitely possible you had a late spawn - very cool.

Late spawns with RES are probably more common than we think.

http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/hsi/hsi-079.pdf

It will not last. This time of year we will likely get some cold rains and the temps will drop again for a while. I fed a little, but likely will stop again as soon as this warm front passes through and gets cold again. We get excited about planting corn about now when it turns warm like this, but likely it will be the last week in March or more likely the first week in April. That is when the soil temps will get up consistently above 50 and the water temps will get up into feeding range consistently also. Really been enjoying it while it lasts though. Even been on motorcycles several times. It will change for the worse soon. Kansas weather.

Bout like down here- if ya don't like the weather, hang on it will change

Pat