Here is a question for all. For those far enough south for your fish to have started spawning. What effect did the cold snap have. Did the fish go off the beds , were fry hatched yet , did you lose your plankton bloom (water get real clear)?
It may seem a small matter but one of the biggest factors faced by owners is the status of the annual hatch. A missed or very small year class can have huge effects on you pond. If fry were hatched just before a several day cold snap they can be lost. See what you can see and report back.
ewest -
We had a couple weeks of mid-60s and low 70s temperatures. The LMB have been in the shallows during that time. Just last Saturday even with temperatures "dropping into the low 50s" I sat and watched pairs of LMB spawning along the shore. I watched one pair for 40 minutes, dragging lure after lure beside their nest and above them (sans hooks) just to see if they had any response and their response was "leave us be". No interest not even to get the lure away from their area.
All of this water has high clarity. Gin clear. Probably 6 different ponds we've been fishing. It is dress in camo, sneak down to some point along the shore where there are no fish, and cast parallel to the bank to where there might be fish.
We just had the bottom fall out and the past couple of nights the temps dipped into high 20s and low 30s. But today we saw some bass still along the shore, feeding on bluegill fry. Most of the LMBs are finishing up their fun in the BOWs we fish.
