Eric, no conclusions, but just a few observations since I first noticed my LMB on the beds.
The LMB that were spawning on the dam, did seem to abandon the beds within a few days, and hopefully for my particular pond, the spawning cycle was interrupted by the cold. No LMB ever returned to those same beds after the cold snap.
My water did clear slightly, and the next batch of pre-spawn LMB were in deeper water, and farther from the bank. Often as much as 40-50' depending on the bottom terrain.
All the males but three still had rigid bellies, and the other three were actively producing milt. One was a large male, so he went back in.
I took out 2 pairs that were caught in the exact same spot, and both females were still producing eggs, and had semi-soft bellies. In both cases, the males were much smaller.
I've caught no females that have completely dropped their eggs. As I continue to pull out males, I should see at least a few that took over the beds, or are feeding, but none so far.
4 days ago we started seeing wolfpacks of LMB cruising the banks. My visual guesstimate is that these LMB were in the 2#-5# range. I've only seen this when my fish are aggressively feeding.
