spawn times

[urban_fisher1]

i am sure one of you guys out there will know the answer to this question. i am wondering when the largemouth start to spawn in lakes around here and if any of you have observed the temperature the water needs to be to get them started. i am wondering about both large bodies of water like union and washington but also smaller bodies of water that there are so many of around here. thanks for the info guys!

[SlabKing]

No matter what the size of the lake is.......55* is golden number. Find 55 degree water and you'll find bass up shallow. They'll be good and active above 51 or so. A few guys reported largemouth cruising the shallows last weekend on Lake Sawyer when the water hit 50 for a few days.

[urban_fisher1]

nice, guess i need to get a thermometer, they like gravel like the crappie do? i am guessing that they are pretty aggressive so the type of bait probably does not matter that much. thanks for the info

[Bassinman36]

They usually start spawning around 58 but a lot hold off until the mid 60s. They will spawn on gravel, sand, rocks(big huge rocks), and logs. They usually only spawn on logs if there is no hard bottom near them. April -july is when they will spawn.I did see a few beds in march though. The fish left them after the cold fronts that hit them though.

[urban_fisher1]

can't wait for those temps to start comin up! is it about the same temperature for crappie to spawn too?

[SlabKing]

One thing I've noticed about the crappie is that the males will be up and building nest in the mid to upper 50's. By the time the water gets into mid 60's they will be in full spawn.

Last year I almost missed the main spawn on my favorite lake because I was waiting for the water to hit 64 like it needs to be on Washington and Union before the main spawn happens. On a whim, I checked out the spawning flats with the water temp only at 58-60 and they were already up in water as shallow as 2 feet lol. They were not in full spawn yet but they were just starting to spawn in good numbers. One day you'd catch 8 then the next time out you might catch 30. I won't make that mistake again this year.

Another thing I really pinned down was finding where the fish would stack up before coming in shallow or where they'd stack up if the weather turned bad and they had to move off the beds for a few days. We would fast troll crankbaits through these areas and pick up a nice crappie on every pass. This year I'll start fishing those areas a month earlier then I did last year. They should be there.

[Kokanee King]

you know what slab it is lonely to fish alone... Let me know when you go out for some slabs.

[urban_fisher1]

its too bad you will be gone for the prime time koke

[crappieking14]

hey guys i am new to the forum . i was wondering about the spawning topic if any of you have ever tried wading for them while they are spawning. i saw a crappie video about it and i thought it could work. looks fun to!

[Kokanee King]

WELCOME WELCOME! I have heard of that as well, I am shure if you find the right lake, most likely a small one in washington, i think that it could work very well.