Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations 20' spawn depths

I have mentioned a few times about my friend having a quarry that is now a 30 acre lake. he was diving yesterday and saw active res beds at 21 ft. he measured a few others at 23 ft with no fish. he said he was face to face with them and could easily see the red ear. he plans to get his go pro down there and video. i had no idea they would spawn that deep.

there is a local reservoir here on the chattachoochee that is very small. when they generate electricity the water level fluctuates several ft. i have been told fish spawn really deep there to survive.

i wonder if it is the really clear water or temp that drives them deep in the quarry.

This does not apply to RES but in the Caribbean I have on several occasions watched gray Chromis mass spawn along hundreds of feet of reef length. Their spawn is nothing like RES and would more resemble FHM but they spawn in mass numbers. Tens of thousands of fish over maybe a day or two. But the point that applies to this discussion is that the spawning fish will blanket the reef that descends at about a 45 degree angle from 20 feet depth to 80 or 90 feet depth. A literal blanket of 4" fish spawning for several hundred linear feet of reef. So it appears the depth differential may not affect the eggs much, at least in the case of Chromis.

snrub-i bet that is neat to see. beautiful water in the Caribbean, i just can't put my face in the water and breath. already tried it, don't work for me. actually it was in the caribbean when i first discovered my snorkeling problems.. the quarry water is pretty clear, it does get a little stain from time to time during rain runoff. i hope he does the go pro video soon.

In waters that have either or both really clear water and water fluctuations BG will make alternate nests to spawn at various depths. You can find descending under water points in waters that will have BG colonies anywhere from 1 ft to 25 ft. BG use them alternately depending on conditions.

When I see sunfish (Bluegill, Redear, Largemouth Bass and Spotted Bass) spawn deep they have a combination of factors that allow it. Good lighting and temperature with adequate oxygen above the thermocline. Something that forces it is a shortage of quality nesting habitat in in shallow water like frequently found with quarries with mostly sheer walls. Most instances I have seen the extreme depths has both allowing and forcing going on.